Being Human
by zen247
Summary: Scientist Skunk is able to successfully open a portal to other worlds, but when he goes missing Judy and Nick are on the case to find him. What they find on the other side of the portal is the human world, but what they didn't expect was that they would turn human themselves. Will their relationship change now that they're the same species? Can they get back? And will they want to?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I have been reading and admiring fanfiction for years, and finally decided to try my hand at it. Zootopia really inspired, so here is my first fanfic revolving around our favorite duo.

I do not own Zootopia, yadda yadda.

o0o

* * *

The door slammed, making Judy's sensitive ears flinch. She watched as chief Bogo marched into the room with a stack of papers , wearing an un-amused expression.

"Alright, listen up!" he barked.

Judy glanced around the room as the officers began to settle down and listen to the chief. Nick Wilde was sitting besides her looking like his always smug self. They shared a chair like usual, a tradition that started two years ago when he had officially become her partner. She wasn't sure why he always insisted on sharing rather then saddling up in the seat next to her, but she wasn't complaining. It made her happy that they were so comfortable with one another, like something as simple as sharing a chair showed the world how strong of a unit they had become.

And strong was an understatement. In just two years they had moved up to the ranks to detectives, no longer piddling around the streets to give parking tickets, but being responsible for major undercover stings. Between their small stature, combined intelligence, Nick's ability to smooth talk and Judy's in with Mr. Big and his family, they were able to solve and uncover anything thrown at them. It seemed predator and pray made the perfect match.

' _The perfect match…'_ Judy thought in her head. ' _If only that meant mate….'_ She sighed at the thought. It was true, over the past two years she had undoubtedly developed feelings for the cunning fox. As much as he drove her crazy there was something about him she couldn't help but find attractive. Maybe it was those half lidded eyes, or the way he called her 'Carrots.' Or maybe how he had become her best friend, and the most important person in her life. He was always there for her, ready to listen, and sometimes to make a joke at her expense, but no matter what they were doing something about just being near him felt so right.

But regardless of those feelings, he was still a fox and she was a bunny. Mating for them was next to impossible. Sure SOME interspecies relationships existed, but they weren't very accepted even in Zootopia, and they never occurred between predator and prey. Besides, she was a bunny, and naturally she wanted to have kids some day. It could never work.

She sighed again.

"HOPS!" chief Bogo yelled, as he slammed a hoof onto her desk. Judy jumped out of her chair, half knocking Nick over on the way. She gathered herself and stuttered up at her boss "um! Uh! Yes? Chief Bogo…? Eh-heh…Sir!"

"FOCUS HOPS! This is a VERY important." Judy looked around the room and realized Bogo, Nick and herself were all that remained. Everyone else must have been given their assignments while she had her head in the clouds. Ugh she could be such a dumb bunny sometimes…

"You okay there Carrots?" Nick looked at her genuinely concerned, but with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, just ready to crack a joke soon as he knew she was alright.

She tried to control her blush. "Yes! I just…um…didn't sleep that well last night is all… Sorry Chief Bogo." She straightened. "Continue."

" It seems we have a unique case here detectives. A strange occurance here in Zootopia. Scientist Dr K. Skunk had been working on project involving the theory of parallel universes."

"What? Like other worlds?" asked Judy.

"Precisely Hopps. Skunk believed many other worlds exist besides our own, and had been working on a machine that could rip through the time continuum and allow passage to those said worlds."

"Sorry chief." Nick interrupted, "But, this sounds like a load of crap. I mean other worlds? You can't honestly believe this."

"Let's keep track, shall we WILDE! I certainly didn't believe a BUNNY" he turned and stared at Judy, "could be one of my top officers. I certainly didn't believe PREDATOR and PREY could be the perfect team!" Judy and Nick stole a glance at one another. "And I definitely didn't believe assistant mayor Bellwhether was an evil mastermind!" He slammed the papers on the desk in front of Judy and Nick. "So looks like with my current track record, anything really IS possible in Zootopia!" he yelled with dripping sarcasm "Now… NO MORE INTERRUPTIONS!"

Judy and Nick nodded.

"It seems Dr. Skunk really was onto something. He successfully created a machine that, whether intentional or not, ripped a hole in our world and made an entrance into another. Now Dr. Skunk is missing, we have no knowledge of how to close the hole, or what kind of creatures may lay on the other side that could potentially find their way here and destroy Zootopia for good!"

Nick whistled. "Dramatic Chief."

"I am serious Wilde! Now I need you two to gear up, enter that portal, find Dr. Skunk, and bring him back so we can sew up this mess and keep Zootopia safe."

"Wait! You want us to enter another WORLD!? But you said yourself you don't even know what's on the other side! What if it's a world of water and we drown? Or of fire and we burn?!" Judy was slightly panicking. She was always prepared, could learn any move and tactic to win in most police situations, but had no way of preparing for something of this caliber.

"Relax rabbit, we sent machines ahead and monitored to make sure it was safe. I wouldn't sacrifice my best detectives on the first go! What kind of chief do you think I am?!" Nick snickered and Bogo sneered at him then continued. "The world seems fairly similar to ours. There's cities and towns, water, food and breathable air. The only difference is animals are not the dominant species."

"What's the dominant species?" Judy asked in wonder, her eyes going wide.

"They call them 'humans.' Animals exist there too, but not like us. There are wild and uneducated, the way we were when we were primal thousands of years ago."

Judy and Nick just shared a silent glance, both trying to read the other's thoughts on this entire situation.

"So you'll be undercover. You can't act like you're evolved. Just try to blend in. Now…go home and pack your things. You two have quite and adventure in store for you. Zootopia is depending on it."

o0o

* * *

"Gosh, can you believe this!?" Nick was ranting all the way home. "I don't like this Judes…not one bit." His paws were tightly fisted and his smug appearance was nowhere to be found.

"I know it's scary to venture into a completely new territory…but maybe it will be great! I like trying new things." She smiled as her brain ran through all the possible things that could lay on the other side of that portal. _Oh my gosh! What if there's UNICORNS!_

Nick stopped and stared at her. He took a moment to observe her closely. He could tell she was daydreaming and he was in awe that she could always be so brave and adventurous. He on the other hand was a total coward, masked by smug jokes and hustles to get on top in the world. Never did he possess the pure bravery and determination that she did. Which is why she would obviously never be interested in him. Sure he'd make an occasional butt joke, and tell her she's cute mostly just to watch her nose twitch and yell at him for it, man she was cute when she was mad. But he could never pursue her. They were born from two totally different worlds, predator and prey, and although his evolved emotions overrode any primal instincts, it could still never work. No matter how much he wished it.

"What if I can't keep you safe?" he blurted out, not realizing he said it until it already left his mouth. Ugh he wanted to slap himself for so obviously caring. Judy snapped out of her daydream and turned to him with a confused look.

"What?"

"Well I mean…You're already pretty small and helpless in this world Carrots. " He mentally slapped himself. _There you go, fucking it up as usual you cowardly fox "_ You probably won't even have a chance where we're about to go." His eyelids slipped down and he gave her a gentle shove as he walked past her.

"Hey! I am NOT helpless! I've taken out RHINOS!" She crossed her arm and her foot quickly tapped as she waited for his response. But Nick just kept leisurely walking ahead. "UGH!" she stomped. "I will be just fine thank you very much!" She stormed past him, took a right at the next block and hurried into her apartment. He slightly laughed as he admired her in her angry state, and felt like a complete dirt ball for using her anger to get a good view of her rear. It was better then getting all touchy feely. It's not like they could ever be anything more then friends anyway.

o0o

* * *

That's chapter one for you! Second installment will be up tonight!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Sorry I didn't realize the file manager was erasing my lines that shows breaks in the story. This should work now and not feel so jumbled. Apologies I am new =)! Enjoy!

o0o

* * *

"Okay let's see here…Some extra clothes…My ipod…a brush, toothpaste, toiletries…what else?" Judy scanned her little apartment trying to think of the best way to prepare for the upcoming unknown. "Hmmm..I wonder if my carrot phone would work where were going…."

*Knock knock*

Judy snapped out of her thoughts. "Hey Carrots, you ready to roll?" she heard Nick's muffled voice say from the other side of her door. She straightened herself up, trying to appear brave when for when she opened it. As the day had gone on she was getting increasingly nervous, but she would be damned if she let Nick know that.

"Ready!" She swung the door open, bag in hand, and looked at Nick. He had his shades on, a small bag, and a coffee in one hand. With his glasses she couldn't get a good read on his emotions. She stopped and noticed that while she was dressed in her police gear, Nick was in his street clothes. "Why aren't you in uniform?" She asked.

"C'mon Carrots, haven't you learned anything from all our undercover work? It's best _not_ to look like were cops. It could get us into trouble."

"But they may not even know what cops _are_ where were going. Don't you want to be prepared?"

"And what if they do know?" He asked slyly, lowering his glasses to peer over them at her. She shivered under his confident gaze.

"Hmph…Well... I for one, want to be prepared." And she moved past him and down the hall.

Nick shrugged, "Suit yourself"

o0o

* * *

They arrived at the building they had found the thirteen savage turned predators only two short years ago. This time, it was surrounded by cops and firetrucks and It took three different security checkpoints before letting them through.

Once reaching the room where Dr. Skunk's machine was held Bogo turned to them for their final briefing. He handed them a folder with Dr. Skunk's photo and a short description. Then he told them they would be stepping into a place called "Central Park "

Bogo handed them both a few more papers labled "Species: Human" covered in photos of different humans, eating, shopping, laughing and walking around the city.

"This is a human. The primary species of the world you're about to enter."

"Kind of weird looking, don't you think?" Nick whispered into Judy's ear, and she elbowed him to pay attention.

"Their world has cities, just like ours. So far what we've seen doesn't seem that threatening, but they still aren't aware of the portal. If they found it, who knows what could happen. They could capture us, maybe want to study us, even put us in cages."

Bogo handed them one more picture, this one of a dog in a crate on the side of the street with a sign that says "puppie's for sale."

Nick gulped at this.

"So it's important to blend in with the animals in their world. You're not supposed to be evolved yet." Bogo reached into his pocket and handed Judy an envelope. "We were able to send over one of our machines to bring back some of their currency. Be careful where you use it. Animals don't use money. They survive off their instincts. Prey graze for nuts and berries and predators hunt " Judy stuck the envelope in her bag and made a point not to make eye contact with Nick when Bogo used the words "hunt." Moments like this always reminded her just how different her and Nick truly were.

They approached the portal. It was surrounded by 24/7 guard dogs, and looked like a mass of swirling, golden light that was impossible to see into. Nick and Judy's eyes went wide as they took in the celestial sight. Nick turned to Judy, putting his paw on her shoulder.

"Well Carrots….ya ready?"

Judy took a deep breath and settled her nerves. "You bet I am."

"Good luck you two. Zootopia is counting on you." Chief Bogo said, than stepped back to clear their path.

They both reared back, nodded at each other, and on the count of three launched themselves forward and into the swirling light.

o0o

* * *

Judy's body felt weird and light, as colors bombarded her senses. Things felt all wrong, like her body was being pulled in 100 different directions. Just as she thought she couldn't take it any longer, she felt herself hit the ground with a loud thud. She grunted, and rolled her body attempting to get up and get a hold of her senses. She could tell she was lying in grass, and that it seemed to be early morning, but she still didn't feel quite right. She felt ….cold.

She looked down at herself and screamed. All her fur was gone! Her cop clothes were still intact, but… why was all her fur gone?! Did it burn up in the portal?! _Oh my gosh this is COMPLETELY mortifying! I can't let Nick see me like this!_

 _Oh no! NICK!_

Forgetting her current state she stood up and started calling Nick's name. Standing felt so weird though. She realized she felt kind of …tall. She tried to listen for Nick's response but panicked when all she heard was the early morning chirping of the birds. She reached her paw up to her ear to listen better but.

 _Where...? Are my ears….?_

Her stomach churned and she felt completely nauseous. She fell to the ground again, this time in a sickening shock and fear. Had she come out of that portal totally deformed? What happened to her?!

"Judy!"

Her head perked up a bit. That sounded like Nick.

"Carrots!"

That IS Nick! _Oh thank goodness he's okay! But…what if he see's me and I disgust him? I don't even know how bad the damage is! I could be terrifying. He can't see me like this! What do I do, WHAT DO I DO?!_

She heard him approaching and leaped into the nearest bush before finally replying.

"um…OVER HERE!" she yelled, and then cringed at the thought of facing him.

She heard footsteps in the grass as he approached the bushes and then a familiar voice.

"Carrots? Don't tell me you turned into a bush," he half joked and gave a small laugh before she answered him.

"No…I didn't turn into a bush. But…The portal. It..It did seem to change me." She choked a fearful cry, still unsure of the damage.

"It's okay Carrots…." He paused for a moment. "It changed me too." He heard her sniffles calm down a bit "Come on out. Trust me, it's not as bad as you think." He heard a muffled sob and saw as the bushes shook a little.

"You swear?" she asked between tears.

"You bunnies, always so sensitive. There's no need to cry. C'mon… Would I lie to you? "

He heard her give one last sniffle and the bushes ruffled as Judy emerged. They made eye contact, and suddenly Nick couldn't breathe.

o0o

* * *

When Nick had awoken from their trip through the portal he found himself laying on some moss near a pond. Just as Judy did, he had a moment of panic and fear as he realized he was missing some very important features, like his fur and his beloved tail. He quickly made his way over to the pond and peered to look at his reflection and was shocked to see he looked like….a human?

He pulled the piece of paper from his back pocket labeled "Species: Human" and looked it over. Yup. He was definitely a human. _Well that's an unexpected twist_ he thought.

From what he could tell, he didn't look like any of the humans in these pictures though. Did they all look different?

He stood up and tried to gain his composure. His body was furless, but the skin felt the same as what he previously had under his fur. He seemed to have an extra digit on each paw, no tail, and his ears were much smaller, as was his nose. His clothes were still intact so that was good. Not too much else seemed out of place, luckily the humans seemed to walk on two legs the way he and Judy did.

 _Shit!_ He turned around frantically searching for the bunny. _SHIT, Where the hell is Judy?_

He scanned the area for about twenty minutes, frantically calling her name. He wondered if she had changed too, or what if she had changed into something else? What if she was a tree, or a rock? Oh god this could be bad.

Soon as he heard her sweet voice his body was overcome with relief. Thank god his little bunny was safe. He hurried over to the sound of her voice and saw a bush shaking, and heard voice coming out of it.

 _Oh please tell me she is just hiding and didn't turn into a bush._

A second wave of relief came over him when she told him she definitely was not a bush, and obviously for showing concern his next comment had to be poking fun at her for being so sensitive.

Finally he coaxed her to come out of hiding. Luckily he was able to catch his reflection in that nearby pond, while poor Carrots was probably sitting here in complete terror not knowing what the hell happened to her. He'll have to show her the pond once she pulls herself together.

The bushes shook and he watched as Judy stood up and looked him in the eye.

Nick's heart stopped. She was…gorgeous. He shook his head for a minute trying to get a hold of his thoughts. Why did he think that? How could he think a different species was so damn gorgeous? I mean he always thought she was cute before, especially for a bunny. And he cared about for her, and admired her because of who she was. But, this…. _this_ was something _different_. This was something deeper…and almost savage. A pure attraction, like the kind of raw attraction that happens between two animals of the same species.

 _Oh my god._ Nick thought to himself as realization hit him.

 _...We're the same species._

o0o

* * *

Judy rose from the bushes and found herself face to face with a human. At first she wanted to scream, but she knew Nick was the only one around, she had heard his voice. And something about this human seemed…familiar. He was tall, even for how tall as she felt he was much taller then her. He had messy auburn colored fur on his head, but nowhere else. She saw he was wearing the same casual wear that Nick often donned, and when she noticed his half-lidded eyes, and cocky smirk, she realized what had happened. But before she could speak she saw Nick's eyes go wide as he shook his head at himself.

"Nick…? Is that you? Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

He looked back up at her, but seemed at loss for words. It was very unlike Nick. She had a sudden thought. _Oh no! It must be me!_

"Am I hideously deformed?!" She asked in a panic.

That seemed to snap him out of it. "What? No!" He pulled himself together and painted the smug look bad on his face. "I mean, as long as you don't consider hideous boils, and an extra eye as 'deformed'"

Judy shrieked and dove back into the bushes.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Nick laughed and bent to help her up. "You're not deformed. You're just human. We both are. Here, come with me. I'll show you." Instinctually he reached out his 'paw,' but both got sight of their new extremities and felt a little confused.

Finally Judy reached her hand up and clasped his own. He helped her out of the bush, and when she righted herself they both took a moment and glanced down at their still clasped hands. Judy's eyebrows furrowed, and she stroked a thumb across the skin on top of Nick's hand.

Nick felt like he was going to jump right out of his new skin.

"It's so soft…" she said in a hushed tone, still peering down in awe. Nick couldn't even focus, he was so overloaded with feelings he had to let go of her hand and step away. She was still staring at her own hands as he took a step back.

"Please Carrots," he turned and started to lead her to the pond "I know I was already good looking as a fox, Obviously this form would be no different, so…do try to control yourself around me."

Judy rolled her eyes at him and followed.

They only walked for a few minutes before finally reaching the pond.

"There ya go Carrots. Have a look." Nick crossed his arms and leaned on a nearby tree as he watched her.

Judy approached the water and kneeled down to peer over the edge. When she saw her reflection she was relieved to see she was not deformed. Just like Nick she pulled out the paper containing pictures of the humans and compared herself.

"I don't look like any of these species though…" she said, trailing off in confusion.

"Yeah I noticed the same thing. Looks like the animals in their species all have a completely unique look. Must be hard to keep track."

"Oh….That's so weird. Hmm"

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"...Do you think I look okay?" she asked, turning to him with hopeful eyes.

His own eyes went wide for a moment and he took her appearance in. She was still in her cop uniform, and in his opinion it looked even better now. Her chest was a bit fuller, and she still had an awesome butt. But when his eyes moved up to her face he could really notice the changes but also similarities. Her eyes were still wide, and beautiful and purple, and she had a small nose that was a little wide at the bottom. Lips in this form seemed to be more full and prominent then they are on animals. And instead of her long ears she had long , thick silver fur coming off of her head. He liked it. He liked all of it. And he was totally screwed.

He realized she was still waiting for an answer, and her eyes were full of anticipation. He knew his bunny was sensitive, now was not the time to tease her…too much.

"Do I think you look better then all those humans on that paper. Yes… yes you do." She half smiled, satisfied with his answer. "...You look great Carrots." He added.

Her face lit up this time, and he felt pleased with himself for once. "Thank you." She said stood up to walk over to him.

"Now. Let's start this mission"


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Thanks for such positive feedback! I am inspired and excited that this is being enjoyed! Onto the chapter =)

oOo

* * *

"I have an idea." Judy said as she pulled a net from her bag.

They were standing around the opening of the portal. It was in the ground by the base of a large tree in what was deemed 'Central Park.' Before moving on with their mission they needed to find a way to try and hide the portal best they could, in hopes to keep Zootopia safe.

"You packed a net?" Nick said, slightly suspicious of this unexpected forethought.

"Hey…If there's something I've learned from all these operations, you must always be prepared for anything.

"Not a dumb bunny," He said and gave her a wink as he helped her with her work.

Judy blushed and watched him for a moment. His human form was more appealing then she anticipated. She found it unusual she would admire a life form she's never seen before, but here she was still thinking of him as attractive as always. Maybe it was just because she cared for him so deeply before this mission.

He used some rocks and sticks as spokes and weights to keep the net firmly around the portal. Then he started sprinkling leaves over the net in an attempt to mask the opening. The net kept the portal from sucking the leaves in it, and the rocks, and stakes kept the net in place.

"Clever fox," Judy said as he wiped his hands clean and looked at his progress.

Before Nick could reply a squirrel scurried between their feet and ran past them, being chased by one of the fattest, unkept cats Hops and Wilde had ever seen.

"We have to help that squirrel!" Judy yelled. She felt her police instincts kicking in and took off in pursuit.

"Ugh! Carrots! WAIT!" Nick yelled, grabbing both their bags and quickly following behind her.

Judy weaved through the obstacles of Central Park. It was still early morning, but humans were already happily milling about. She took in her surroundings and saw the squirrel scale a fence with the cat hot on its tale. She felt so big compared to the animals here. Determined to help the poor squirrel, she saw a tree and trashcan nearby and gauged if she bounced up on top of the trashcan, then ricocheted off the side of the tree she could clear the fence.

 _Don't worry Mr. squirrel, I am an officer and I am here to help!_ She thought determinedly _._

She ran at full speed and went to make the leap. Soon as her feet hit the ground for her jump she could feel something wasn't right. Of course, unknown to her, humans can't jump the way a bunny can. And her body, instead of leaping on top of the trashcan, fell right into it, causing it to knock over and crash into a group of human passerby's.

Judy found herself lying on the ground for the second time that morning, and heard as the humans around her grunted and groaned from the unexpected impact.

When she looked up she saw four very unhappy humans, covered in various pieces of trash, as well as a very unhappy…..police officer?

"And WHAT do you think you're DOING?!" A large, male police officer asked her as he hauled her to her feet and pulled a dirty burger wrapped off of his shoulder.

"Sorry sir! I was just trying to help out that poor citizen" she paused for a moment and peered at his name badge. "Stevens. Officer Stevens." Hops stood at attention, proudly recognizing another officer just like herself, and he paused to stare at her.

Looking her up and down he took a moment before speaking. "And you are?..."

"Hops. Officer Judy Hops." Officer Stevens eyed her up suspiciously, then bent down to take a closer look at her badge. He quickly stood back up and started to reach for his handcuffs.

"Okay miss, you're coming with me."

"Wait, what?"

"Impersonating an officer is a crime, and that little stunt of yours won't be helping your case."

"Wait, No!"

"JUDY!" both Judy and the officer turned to see Nick running up behind them. "Please officer! Judy here is my dear…um…sister! She doesn't know what she's doing."

"She's walking around in a FAKE cop uniform, claiming to be an officer. Do you understand the serious stature of that crime?"

"I told you I was just trying to help that poor squirrel!" Judy shouted forcibly.

"Squirrel?" Officer Steven's raised and eyebrow completely un-amused.

Nick walked up to the officer, putting on his most smooth talking and sweetly slick demeanor. "Look Officer. She's not right in the head." He put a finger to his own head and made a 'she's crazy' motion. "She means no harm. Really, I promise I'll keep a better eye on her next time." Nick walked over to Judy and put his arm around her. "Right … _SIS_? "

Judy just crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"What have I told you about chasing squirrels? Hmmm?" he smiled and grabbed her shoulders and began to turn her away from the officer and down the walking path of the park, out into the streets of New York City.

She still wasn't happy, but noticed the officer seemed to let it slide and allowed them to keep walking.

"Good one Carrots." He whispered into her ear, still trying to keep up the façade of helping his 'crazy' sister. "What did Bogo tell you about keeping you're cool. Animals work different here. They're still savage in this place." They rounded the corner, out of the officer's sight, and he dropped his hands from her shoulders as they continued down the city block.

"I know but….but I couldn't help it. I just needed to try and save that squirrel." She looked down, slightly ashamed that she had almost gotten them in such deep trouble.

"I know. You're a brave little bunny. Let's try to stay low from here on out though okay?"

She pressed her head into his chest, and let out a heavy defeated sigh. "Okay."

"Umm…Carrots?"

"Yes?"

"Remember when I told you not to wear that cop uniform?"

"UGH!" she playfully punched him in the arm and scowled at him for being right.

"Why don't you change into your extra clothes, hmm? So you don't get us into any more trouble" he said, handing her the bag he grabbed.

"I…only brought my cop clothes." She replied, clearly embarrassed.

"What?!" He asked. "Why in the world would you do that?!"

"I don't know! I wasn't completely sure how to prepare! All I know is being a cop, and it felt like that uniform was all I needed to bring to keep myself safe! This isn't like most undercover stings where we have an Alias we are suppose to dress and act towards. This was just…completely up in the air. And now I just…ugh…I'm such a dumb bunny…"

"Do you still have that envelope that Chief Bogo gave you? The one with the money?" Nick asked

"Yes….Why?"

"As much as I hate to say this….I think we need to bring you shopping."

oOo

* * *

This city was a lot like Zootopia in many ways, and a lot different in others. First off it wasn't quite as beautiful or well taken care of. And the people certainly weren't as friendly. But the layout was similar, and it wasn't long before Nick and Judy found a strip of stores that would allow her to get the clothes she needed to "blend in."

She walked through the store, handling different fabrics and trying to figure out what she liked as Nick sat in a chair by the dressing room, staring out a window.

"Hello Sir, Is there anything I can get you while you wait?" a young, light haired girl asked him between giggles.

"No I'm fine, thanks." The girl continued to smile at him and he smiled back slyly. He could tell instantly this human was flirting with him. _Ohhhh Nick you dirty dog. This could be fun._

"You're awfully pretty, what's you're name?" He said smoothly, elating another giggle from the human girl.

"My name is Charlotte."

"Well it is very nice to meet you Charlotte. My name is Nick."

Judy could hear the whole conversation from the nearby dressing room. This was typical Nick, always one for female attention. Never hers, of course, because obviously she was a bunny.

But…

But she wasn't a bunny anymore….

Which means.

She gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. _Oh my gosh…_

"I like your hair Nick. It has this red sheen to it. It looks kind of wild." She laughed again stepping closer to him.

"Haha, wild huh? You have no idea…" he trailed off. He was about to make another sly remark when the dressing room door opened across the way and Judy stepped out. Nick accidentally dropped both the bags he was carrying, and had to stop himself from going slack jawed when he laid eyes on her. She was in an outfit he would of never imagined his little bunny in a million years. A tight, dark purple dress that fit her body perfectly and matched her silver locks and violet eyes.

Rudely pushing past the human girl in mid sentence, he took a deep breathe, readying himself to face this beauty. She was not his little bunny anymore.

oOo

* * *

What Nick didn't know was, Judy had a very ambitious sales lady that was handing her more dresses, shirts and skirts then she could count. Most of them she knew weren't her style, but after her incident with the cop she really just wanted to lay low and be kind. So she politely accepted the abundance of clothes and planned on walking out with only a plaid button up, a T-shirt she quite liked, and a couple pairs of pants.

When the sales lady handed her a few dresses, she planned on dismissing them and not even trying them on. That was until she heard Nicks little conversation happening in the background. The moment her bunny brain registered that her and Nick Wilde were now the same species, all bets were off. She didn't know what exactly their time in this world would bring to their relationship, but she wasn't going to pass up the chance of seeing if this fox was at least interested.

She picked up a few floral sundresses she thought were nice, and decided she would add them to her purchase. But it was the form fitting, deep purple dress she wanted to use as her bait. _Ha…Imagine that. The prey is now luring the predator._

She wasn't sure what was quite considered "attractive" here, but her instincts were telling her this dress may have been pushing into the range of 'sexy.' It was form fitting in all the right places, and accentuated her curves. Her breasts were different in this form, and more apparent, but she was okay with that. From all the ads she had seen in the stores it seemed to be an admired feature.

Stepping out of the dressing room she wanted to play 'dumb bunny,' and innocently see what Nicks thoughts were on clothes in this world.

"I think I like this one!" she called to the sales lady as she stepped out of the dressing room stall, not even turning to look at Nick yet. Once she finally did the fox was no longer talking to the human girl, but was standing right beside her. So close that when she turned she actually jumped back a bit in surprise.

"That's quite the get up, Carrots." He said, casually leaning on the wall beside her, looking up and down her body hungrily. _You savage fox, get a HOLD of yourself! DON'T let her see she gets to you._ But she was clearly getting to him and he was failing at hiding it. "So you think this outfit is going to help our mission?" he asked, with an air of both sarcasm and huskiness to his voice.

Judy was a little thrown off. She didn't expect him to be so close and he had never spoken to her in that kind of tone. For some reason it was making her head dizzy.

"I…wasn't sure how human girls dress here. " She was finally able to get out. "I just wanted to try a couple different things." They stared at each other and the tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a swordfish. Both waiting for the other to say something. Both wondering to see if the other had the same realization.

The realization that they were no longer different species.

 _I could just push her up against this wall and ravage her. And it would be okay in this world._ Nick thought. He took a deep breath to settle his growing desire. This little dress stunt certainly did not help his growing attraction. _Does she have any idea what she was doing to me?!_

Nick had never been so quiet and intense since she has known him. His eyes were flickering, looking at her like a piece of meat, but she knew it wasn't in a dangerous way. It was in a way that made her insides stir, and the room feel hot. Her plan had worked. It had certainly showed her there was something happening here. Whether that meant it was something they should act upon or not, she wasn't sure. The fact still remained, they weren't going to be humans forever.

oOo


	4. Chapter 4

"No seriously Carrots! I think you should wear the purple get up! It will really help with our interrogations." Nick wiggled his eyebrows at her, laughing.

"Ugh! Just shut up!" she said as she smacked him with her backpack.

They were walking the streets of New York, looking for leads to Dr. Skunk. Judy had left the shop wearing a flannel shirt, T-shirt and jeans, and had purchased a few other things for good measure, the purple dress included. That little purchase clearly didn't go unnoticed by her partner and he had been teasing her about it all day.

She didn't totally hate him for it. The teasing was easier to handle then the tension, so she allowed him to think he was getting to her so he could continue his game, and their friendship could still feel normal.

"So Carrots, do we have any leads on this skunk? It feels kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack. Especially if he's human too." Judy's head looked up to the sky.

"That's a good point." She said, exasperated. "I didn't anticipate him being human also…"

Just as she finished her sentence, she had an idea. "That's it! What would a skunk do if he were human? Something a skunk probably couldn't usually do in Zootopia."

Nick thought for a moment. "Well this particular skunk was a scientist…One who was obsessed with other worlds. I'm sure he'd want to study things that are different in this world from our Zootopia…"

Judy's head snapped up as a bus drove by them with a huge ad for the "Central Park Zoo."

"Zoo…?" Judy whispered out loud.

"What was that Carrots?"

"ZOO! LOOK!" Judy grabbed Nick's head face and literally turned his entire head towards the bus ad. "They have a place here called a ZOO! And it has ANIMALS! Just like Zootopia! I bet Dr. Skunk would be there!"

"Wow! Good job Carrots!" Judy let go of his face and pulled out a pen and paper to write down the address from the ad. "Got it! Let's go find this Zoo."

oOo

* * *

"That will be $16.00 each" Said the cashier at the Zoo entrance.

"Jeeze I could get a jumbo pop for that much," mumbled Nick as he fished money out of their shared envelope. He counted out what they needed for two tickets and handed it to the lady behind the glass.

"Thank you. You and your girlfriend enjoy." Said the woman as she gathered the money and handed him two tickets with pictures of snow leopards on them.

Nick cringed and blushed, "Uh…thanks, but she's not my girlfriend." He looked over his shoulder to see Judy standing a few feet away, unfolding a piece of paper.

"She's uh…she's my partner." The woman behind the register cocked and eyebrow at him, clearly confused at his wording. "Eh, ya know what, it doesn't matter. You have a nice a day ma'm." he said, giving her his still effective, sly fox-like smile and turned back to find Judy with their tickets in hand.

"Whatcha find there Carrots?" he asked, as he saw her scanning what looked like a map.

"This shows where all the animals are located in here. This place….it's like. It seems almost like a jail." Judy's voice sounded a bit shaky as she spoke, " I don't know about this Nick. I don't know if I can handle this."

"I'm sure it's fine Carrots. We gotta see if we can find any clues that may help us locate that damn skunk so we can get home. Like…ASAP." _Because the longer I am around you in this form, little bunny, the more I can feel my control slipping._

He looked at her nervous demeanor. He liked the flannel shirt and jeans she chose to purchase. It reminded him of the casual clothes she would wear back home. Her long silver hair was pushed to on side of her head, exposing her neck, and Nick wondered what that particular spot on her neck tasted like. _UGH! You disgusting dog, you GOTTA get a hold of yourself._

"Ok! Let's get going!" he said, a little too loudly, quickly ushering her inside and away from his thoughts.

"Jeeze okay, okay! Relax!..."

oOo

* * *

They walked the Zoo for a couple of hours. At first, Judy was skeptical about these animals living in these environments. She even got emotional a few times, putting her hand up to the glass of the Polar Bear exhibit, remembering Mr. Big's cronies and wishing he could understand her.

Nick came up behind her and reminded her that these animals aren't evolved yet, and how harsh the wild really could be. They weren't muzzled, or in tight cages, and at one point they even saw the humans go into the exhibit and kindly feed them.

"It's definitely not preferable Carrots, but hey. Could be worse." Judy nodded in agreement. She still didn't enjoy this place, but his words atleast helped her get through it.

After two hours they had no leads, and Judy decided to sit on a bench in front of the Sea Lion exhibit, watching the humans throw them fish, with her head in her hands and unsure of where to go next.

She glanced down and her eyes scanned the ground for clues, catching only a few pieces of trash, and a picture of a badly drawn sea lion with some notes scribbled on it.

 _Wait a second…_ she thought as she picked up the paper. Notes. Notes made by someone studying this Sea Lion's environment.

She quickly dug in her backpack and found their file on Dr. K Skunk. When she glanced over it she saw examples of his handwriting, and compared it to the notes in her hand. It looked like a match! _So he WAS here!_

Excited, she leapt up and looked around for Nick. She saw him talking to the young man that was just feeding the Sea Lions their dinner. Hurrying over to him she was about to say ' _I've got a lead!'_ but before she could open her mouth he turned to her with his half-lidded eyes and cocky smile saying "Hey Carrots. I got us a lead."

"Wait, What?" She was clearly confused.

"Yeah, see, we noticed how all these humans look different, right? Well even though we're humans, we still have some same similarities to our animal selves. So I asked this guy if he had seen any gentleman running around here with black and white striped hair. And wouldn't you know, there was a man with that very description who roamed this place all day yesterday, taking notes on everything and apparently mumbling to himself about an entire city full of animals." Nick crossed his arms, ready for Judy to be impressed.

" Yes, and _I_ found his notes." She said just as cocky, and handed him the papers she found on the ground. He looked at the notes and chuckled. "Clever bunny. So what now?"

She pulled her notepad and pen out to write down the information Nick had just relayed to her. "Well…" Judy thought for a moment, tapping her pen to her mouth.

 _Oh god, don't do that. Please move that pen…_ Thought Nick, trying to focus on what she was saying.

"Dr. Skunk is clearly interested in studying animals in this world. He may not come back here, but I am sure there are other locations in the city that involve animals as well. If his hair makes him hard to miss, we can find those places and keep asking around. "

"Sounds like a plan. Still feels like finding a needle in a haystack, but hey, at least we got something today." Judy grinned, happy with their small lead.

"It's a start!" Judy said triumphantly, striking her cop pose.

"Well on that note, this place looks like it's shutting down for the day. We're going to need to find somewhere to stay for the night."

"Oh good point. I suppose we could just find a hotel? I'm sure they have those here." Judy started to head for the exit.

"Yea," replied Nick, "It's kind of crazy how much this place reminds me of Zootopia. It would be like if a human took everything they know about their cities, and everything they know about animals, and combined it all together to make our world."

"That sounds ridiculous, Nick" Judy said laughing at his observation.

He shrugged, putting on his usual half-lidded demeanor. "Yea, I guess so."

oOo

* * *

"I'm sorry it's how much?" Nick turned away from the counter for a moment and whispered in Judy's ear. "Prices are ridiculous in this city."

"That's $500 a night for two rooms sir." They had effectively walked for three hours and checked out almost twenty different hotels in hopes to find a better deal, but they were all pretty much the same.

Judy yawned, patiently waiting. Nick could see she was exhausted and turned back to the concierge. "How much for one room?"

"$225 sir."

 _Ugh…I am going to regret this._

oOo

* * *

"332….333…..Here we go! 337. Welcome to your temporary home Carrots!"

"Oh thank goodness, I'm beat." Judy snagged the room key from Nick and stuck it in the door, effectively opening it. "Well, good night!" She said, beginning to close the door before feeling something stopping her. Looking down she saw Nick's foot in the doorway.

"Haha…So. Funny thing Carrots." Judy looked at him confused. "Yes…?"

"Remember that little shopping spree we went on earlier? Well it seems this city is just WAY over-priced. We are only going to be able to afford one room a night while were here. So…" He put his hand on the door and smoothly pushed it open, walking past her into the room. "looks like we're gonna be roommates for a bit!" Giving her a cheesy smile, he threw his bag down on the table and kicked his shoes off, ready to make himself at home.

"Roommates?! Nick. I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why's that Carrots?" he asked as he nonchalantly searched the mini-fridge for snacks.

"I just…."

"No worries. I don't snore. Or at least…I didn't in my old body." He shrugged, digging into a bag of Doritos he found.

"I…um." She sighed, too tired to care. "Fine. I'm just…gonna go get ready for sleep then."

She went into the bedroom to change and in just seconds Nick heard a scream. He busted in and looked around the room for the source of danger. When seeing nothing he glanced over at a very angry bunny, with her arms crossed, rapidly tapping her foot on the ground and staring at him.

"What's wrong? What is it?" She said nothing and just fiercely pointed at the bed.

"It's a bed?" he asked, still not getting it.

"Yes! It's _A_ bed! Meaning, ONE! One bed. And no couch in this tiny place!" Nick finally caught on to her point and cringed. "Sorry Carrots. We'll just have to make due. I'll sleep on the floor, don't sweat it."

Judy just grunted and grabbed her stuff, marching into the bathroom to change. She emerged moments later in a white tank top and some grey shorts. Nick was trying his best not to ogle her. The shorts she packed were clearly not made for her new longer legs, and seemed awfully short. Not that he was complaining. _Nope…Not complaining._ He thought as he watched her reaching across the bed to remove the decorative pillows and pull down the covers. She threw a pillow at him, smacking him in the face, then climbed into bed.

Nick attempted to set up a bed for himself on the ground, but there wasn't very much room for his newer tall body to stretch out. He was extremely uncomfortable, but they were still sharing a room, so he wasn't about to complain.

oOo

* * *

 _That damn fox. I can't believe he booked us a room with only one bed. Ugh, why does this city have to be so expensive!_ Judy had been lying awake for the last hour. Although she was exhausted when they first arrived, the idea of Nick being so close as they shared a room was keeping her mind from relaxing. Not that she was afraid he WOULD do anything. It was more that….she wanted him to.

She half wanted him to get so frustrated with the floor he would climb into bed with her. She obviously wouldn't ASK this of him. She was just totally conflicted.

She heard a moan from the floor, and sat up a bit.

"Nick?" she whispered.

"Yes Carrots?" she heard him reply.

"Why are you still up?"

"Well, despite popular belief, sleeping on cold floors isn't exactly comfortable."

"Oh….I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine" He said kindly. Judy bit her lip in anticipation. If there was any time to invite him to just share, it was now. But what if he said no? She would feel so dumb. At the same time he did need a good nights sleep though. _I really don't know when to quit do I?_

"You can….um. Look Nick, you can share the bed with me. I'm sorry for making you take the floor."

Nick froze from his spot on the ground. Was she serious? Was she really going to let him... _gulp..._ share the bed?

 _Maybe this was a bad idea…_ she thought, as he took too long to respond. After another grieving five minutes, she heard rustling and saw the shadow of his tall form leaning over the bed, preparing to climb in. He threw his pillow in the spot next to her own, and lifted the covers, slipping in and making sure not to touch her.

She could smell him as he went to lay next to her, a mix of Earthy scents and something sweet. She stayed perfectly still as he got himself situated, afraid to even breathe. He settled in and both of them were quiet, the only sound in the room was their shallow breathing.

Judy assumed he had quickly fallen asleep and finally felt she was able to relax. She closed her eyes, ready for sleep to take her.

Just a moment later her eyes shot open as she felt something touching her leg. _Is that…oh my god is he touching me?!_

oOo

* * *

Nick couldn't help himself. He wanted so badly to have better control, but he just didn't. As soon as she asked him to join her in the bed all bets were off. Predator instincts, human instincts, male instincts, whatever it was, he couldn't possibly be this close to her, sharing a bed, without touching her.

They had settled in the bed, both on their left sides, so she was facing away from him and he was staring at the back of her head.

 _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't pull out that old fox repellant and kill me with it._

He slowly reached his hand over and lightly stroked the back of her bare leg. He felt her body freeze under his touch, and he waited for his death sentence, but it never came.

Thanking heavens but still testing his luck, he didn't remove his hand and continued to slowly stroke up and down his partners leg. The smooth skin felt amazing under his touch, nothing like fur, and he was enjoying it's silky softness. His body was having very primal and male reactions to such simple touch and he had to hold back a quiet growl from escaping under his breath.

Little did he know Judy was trying to get her own emotions under control as she felt his paw, or "hand" as they call it here, teasing her and she had no idea how to react. Should she stop him? Let him continue? Be doing ...something back? She wasn't sure. She decided the best thing to do was to turn around and face him, and figure it out from there.

She shifted her body and rolled on her other side so they were staring into each other's eyes, their mouths just inches away from one another. Neither said anything as their eyes were reclaiming, trying to read the others emotions.

Nick was the first to make a move, half sitting up to lean over her, and inched his body closer, his tall frame over powering his little bunny. They were both breathing heavier now, moving slowly towards one another.

 _Oh my god, I am about to kiss her. This is it._ Nick lazily closed his eyes, about the close the remaining gap.

Before he could reach his mark though, Judy ducked her head down and nuzzled into his chest. Nick froze.

 _Did she just deny me?_

He wasn't sure what to think. UGH! He was so close!

But what was he thinking ! Just because he wanted this doesn't mean she did! He was still a sly, untrustworthy fox from the streets. She was an inspiration back in their world. He felt like a fool.

Judy felt terrible for pulling away. She was the one enticing him earlier. But as soon as the moment came, she was so overwhelmed and nervous. So many thoughts of what is ran through her head. This was all so complicated. Just because they were the same species doesn't mean they should mate. What would happen when they went back home? She couldn't bare being so close to him and then losing him. She didn't want him to think she was completely denying him though. She just needed to think. So she nuzzled her head deeply into his neck, and covered her hand over his own that was still positioned on her leg.

He seemed to relax a bit at this. It had been a long and confusing day. At this point all she wanted to do was feel safe and sleep. She closed her eyes, listening to his breathing, feeling his fingers still lightly dancing over her leg, and allowed her body to fall into a peaceful slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! Thanks for such excited reviews! It's definitely driving me to want to give you guys more! I have the whole outline layed out and will continue to post! Also the rating may change in near chapters. Enjoy!

oOo

* * *

The pamphlets at the hotel had information about common attractions within the city. The one that had caught Judy's eye was a place called "The American Museum of Natural History." She didn't know what the word 'American' meant, but she knew what a history museum was, and when she saw pictures of animal fossils she could tell this would definitely be a place that would interest Dr. Skunk.

Nick was back to his usual smug self that morning, completely ignoring any awkwardness from the night before. The truth was he didn't really know how to act. He was frustrated that he was rejected, but at the same time couldn't blame Hops for it. At the very least he didn't want to lose her as a friend and partner. He figured if they could just solve this whole case, and get back to Zootopia as fast as possible, then everything would be ok. _I'll be a fox again, she'll be a rabbit, and things will go back to exactly how they were before. Where predator and prey couldn't be together even if they wanted to._

 _We need to find that damn skunk…_

Nick heard the door click and looked up to see Judy stepping out of the bathroom wearing one of the sundresses she had purchased.

His insides tightened. _We need to find that damn skunk TODAY!_ He turned away and pretended not to notice her, stirring some creamer into his coffee.

 _Of course Judes wears a dress today. Never seen her wear a dress ONCE in Zootopia, and here she is now with those new legs -those long, smooth, supple… STOP IT NICK! I wish she just stayed in the cop uniform so I can still see her as my partner, not as this –_

"-Nick?!"

Nick's head whipped up as she loudly called his name, catching him off guard. "Huh? What?"

"I've been talking to you, but you seem extremely interested in stirring creamer in you're coffee. You okay?"

He put on his casual and aloof look, grinning " 'Course Carrots. Why wouldn't I be?" He sipped his coffee.

Judy stared at him for a moment trying to get a read on his emotions.

 _Do NOT glance down. Don't look at her body. Don't let her see she's getting to you. Just hold her eye contact you stinking pervert._

He stood calmly staring, donning the emotionless mask he didn't want Judy to see past. She was completely unaware of the turmoil that was going on under the surface. She cocked her head giving a small "hmmm…" before finally looking away and giving up on the subject.

 _Haha…good job you sly fox. You've got this under control._ He smiled to himself.

Judy reached across the counter to pour herself some coffee. As she brushed past him he was able to catch a whiff of her scent.

His face fell.

 _Damnit, I'm doomed._

 _oOo_

* * *

"Okay, so there is an exhibit on fossils and animal bones. Should we start there?"

"Whatever you think fluff butt." Judy rolled her eyes at the words of her least favorite nickname. He was being very much like his old self today. A bit more cold and aloof then what she was used to from their years of friendship. She figured it had something to do with last night.

How could it not?

What was happening here? They had shared a bed. A BED. She knew she had deeper feelings for Nick then she should. She had been feeling that way for a while, even allowing her mind to occasionally wonder in and out of fantasies of them as mates. Even truly wishing it.

But that was all it could ever be in Zootopia. Fantasies and wishes. Nick was like this safety net in her life. He was always there for here, they both cared about each other, and they could never cross the line even if they wanted to. It was the perfect situation. But now they _could_ cross that line. Those fantasies of hers _could_ become reality. And that was _terrifying._

A million questions ran through her mind. The most important one being did he REALLY even want this? Or was he just…in the moment last night? They were in these weird bodies, with these new instincts, sharing a bed. It would be an easy mistake to make to get caught up in all this. She wanted him to want to commit. _Ugh! You're such a dumb bunny, how could he even commit if we returned to Zootopia?_ Fear struck her when the question crossed her mind. _Would we even want to return?_

She didn't want to taint their friendship just because of this temporary situation. It just wasn't worth it.

 _You can't do this Judy. Your place is in Zootopia, as a cop. It's what you worked your whole life for! You can't throw all that hard work away for a...for a….well for a fox!_

oOo

* * *

The museum was nothing less then fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Judy had learned a bit about different animal bones and structures in school, but this entire place was full of real skeletons. It felt like a haunted house to her at first.

But when she saw the humans walking around and learning about her world she was slightly fascinated. She watched them as they watched the 'animals, ' pointing out different species and attempting to learn as well. Something about their desire to learn eased her stomach a bit.

There certainly weren't museums back in Zootopia filled with this many animal bones. Citizens would have to agree to donate their bodies to science, and truly the idea of such a place probably wouldn't be well received. They were still perfecting peace, it would just point out more differences. But being here, maybe she could learn something.

She got a little more comfortable as time went on, and took notes on facts she wanted to relay back to her world. She was much less impressed with the exhibits on rocks, trees and animal environments. The humans clearly haven't mastered how to recreate these domains. There wasn't even real snow or ice in the winter related exhibits!

Nick had been strolling leisurely besides her making small talk. If this place bothered him, he didn't show it.

They rounded a corner and came across an exhibit on predators and prey. Judy stopped in her tracks, nearly dropping her pen and notepad as she looked up and found herself inches away from a stuffed fox. She stared at its cold fake eyes. She looked at them and remembered Nick's face. Thinking of him in his fox form was bittersweet, and as she allowed her eyes to drift over the rest of the exhibit her heart skipped a beat at the sight of a rabbit.

A rabbit being killed by a fox.

She just stood there.

Staring.

Taking in its reality.

Nick would never turn on her, this she knew. This moment would never happen between them in Zootopia. But it was just such a difficult reality to face. To literally come face to face with, not read about in a school textbook.

"Carrots?" She heard Nick say softly in her ear. She felt his hand rest on her shoulder and she snapped out of her thoughts.

"I think…. I'm ready to go now." Judy said slowly. She didn't even turn to look at Nick. He just nodded.

"Okay. Let's get outta here."

oOo

* * *

They walked home in silence. Overcome by too many layers of emotions for even friendly banter, and without any new leads on Dr. Skunk.

Nick couldn't stand seeing his little bunny like this. He needed to snap her out of it. Get a few laughs in.

They walked up to their hotel room and Judy kicked off her boots, sitting on the corner of the bed and reaching for the television remote. She sighed. She was ready to dive into some trash TV and forget about their afternoon. To forget about everything, just for a couple of hours.

Nick sat on the bed next to her, taking in her defeated demeanor. He smirked to himself as he saw her rubbing her sore feet, still unaccustomed to this new body.

"Need some help there, _honey_ _bunny_?" he asked, sarcasm and humor dripping in his tone as he reached for one of her feet to give her a foot massage.

Judy let out half-hearted laugh, weakly allowing him to grab hold of one of her sore extremities. As soon as he went to put pressure on the bottom of her foot, Judy burst out in an ear-splitting laugh.

She quickly covered her mouth and looked at a Nick confused and wide-eyed. He looked confused himself. She lowered her hands slowly and laughed at herself dumbly, shaking off the weird outburst.

He went to rub her foot a second time, and once again she started laughing uncontrollably. Nick couldn't help but smirk slightly this time, still confused. "What's going on with you Hops?"

"I have no idea!" she managed get out as she settled into giggles. "Something about you touching my foot is making me laugh. It's giving me this weird,….feeling. This sort of…." She moved her fingers in the air and wiggled them trying to describe the sensation, " ..tickly feeling…"

" 'Tickly' huh?" Nick's eyelids drooped and he grinned attractively at her silliness.

"Yeah! I dunno, haha…it's hard to explain. My feet have never been that sensitive before!" She sat up and looked down at them both. "It must be a human thing." She said amazed and amused she reached for them and tried to mimic his motions. She looked at her foot, puzzled.

"What's the matter?"

"It's not working," she said, with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Nick reached over and rubbed her foot and just as before she burst out in laughter. This time Nick laughed too at the ridiculousness of this entire situation.

"Ha! What is going on with you Fluff?!"

"I *giggle* I don't know! Hahaha! As soon as you touch my feet I can't control myself from laughing, I swear! It's so odd." She got a mischievous look in her eye. "Lemme try it on you!" she exclaimed, then tackled the unexpecting fox and dove for his foot.

"What?! Wait a second Carro- OOF!" Nick fell back on the bed and Judy sat on his leg, effectively pinning down his foot. She mimicked the motion he did to her own foot, and looked at him with anticipation.

He just looked up at her from his position on the bed and shrugged, not sure of what to expect.

She blinked, confused again. "Ugh! What!? Why isn't it working on you?!" she asked, trying again and again but to no avail.

"I dunno little bunny, maybe all these human bodies are different?" he folded his arms behind his head and looked up at her arrogantly.

"Well that's not fair!" she plopped back on the bed and crossed her arms.

 _HA! She's pouting. Adorable._

"So… It doesn't work if you do it to me or your own feet? It only works if I do it to you?"

"I guess so…" she mumbled, brows furrowed. She looked at Nick and he was staring at her with a very predatory look on his face. In fact it was the most fox-like she had seen him in this form. Realization hit the clever bunny.

"Ohhhhh….No no no no no!" She went to scurry off the bed, but Nick quickly sat up and hooked his arm around her waste, pulling her back on the bed and flipping her around to get a good hold on her feet. He began tickling them and she laughed incessantly.

"HAHAH! STOP STOP !- HAHAHA-! I CAN'T –HAHAH! -HANDLE THIS! DAMNIT NICK! STOP IT!" Nick was enjoying himself immensely, laughing as well. This is exactly what he needed to cheer his best friend up again.

She tried to kick her feet, but Nick was able to overpower her human legs. Finally in desperation she lunged her body and rolled all her weight, taking him with her and accidentally rolling them off the bed, but effectively stopping his ministrations.

They crashed to the floor with a soft 'Thud,' the fall not being high enough to hurt either of them. Their laughs continued to fill the room, and Nick took a deep breath trying to calm himself.

As he breathed in he was able to catch her scent again, and felt as his body went from laughing and friendly to wanting more.

He watched her on the ground next to him. Laughing with her eyes closed, reveling in this moment of care-free happiness. She was amazing. He always thought she was amazing but he felt like in this form he could honestly appreciate it and indulge in it. Because here he was allowed to. _Let it go you dumb fox. It's not gonna happen._

Her giggles died down and she made eye contact with him. She shifted her body and sat up brushing her hair out of her face and shyly turning away from Nick. He sat up as well, also turning his head in the opposite direction, sheepishly rubbing his neck.

"Haha…well…that was fun!" she exhaled. She began to stand up. "I should probably-" something about watching her stand up didn't sit right with the fox, and in one smooth motion he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to the floor. Back to him.

They were face to face, and Nick's eyes were wide-eyed and unsure for once. Judy looked at him the same way, and he honestly didn't know what he was doing. It was like he was in a trance. He had been having these internal battles with himself since they got here and just like the care-free look she had while laughing, he wanted to feel that care-free release of his own.

And so he leaned in, and softly kissed her.

It was slow and delicate, barely grazing her lips. Before he got the change to feel the former bunny's lips began to move under his own though, his eyes snapped open and he leapt back, afraid of the line he just officially crossed.

 _SHIT! What did I just do!?_

Judy was just sitting there with her eyes still closed, and he couldn't gauge what she was thinking. He wasn't sure if he could handle rejection. Shit he wasn't sure he could handle her jumping on top of him and wanting to make out either. Half of him urged to push for more, to kiss her again, but he felt like he had no control over himself around her anymore and instead chose to stand up and walk out of the room. He needed some fresh air.

Judy's eyes flew open as she watched him walk out the front door of the hotel room. Slowly she pressed her fingers to her lips. She was flushed and her stomach was full of butterflies. She felt both amazing and completely paralyzed.

 _I can't believe he kissed me..._ she thought.

 _And now I feel more in love then I ever dreamed possible...  
_

 _...What am I gonna do?_

oOo


	6. Chapter 6

Here it is! The next chapter. I enjoyed writing this one a lot =). Thank you again for those of you taking the time to leave such great reviews. It's helped drive me, especially this being my first fanfiction I was nervous how it would end up. Oh and this chapter is rated M…I suppose I have to change the entire stories rating? On to the good stuff!

oOo

* * *

Nick walked the streets of Manhattan, head down and hands in his pockets. He was having an internal battle - no make that an internal war - waging about if he was a dumb fox, or if he'd be even more dumb not to at least try with her.

 _She's too good for you._

 _No. She's your partner. She see's you as a friend. You two have gone beyond the thief and the officer, or predator and prey._

 _She's so beautiful. I have no control around her. Even more so in this form then as a fox!_

 _This is an amazing opportunity though. You two can experience things here that would never be possible back home. Maybe this is fate._

 _But we have to go back to Zootopia._

… _Why?_

He snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a loud crash. He took a step back and peeked down an ally way that the sound seemed to resonate from. He saw what looked like a homeless person scavenging through a garbage dumpster.

He was about to continue on his way when he saw the man dig out a rat, holding it by its tail and mumbling something. Nick squinted his eyes peering closer, trying to figure out what was happening in front of him.

As the dark skinned figure took a few steps back to study the screaming rodant Nick was able to catch a very distinct white stripe down the middle of his hair. It looked just like…

"Dr. Skunk?!" Nick hollered. The man dropped the rat and cursed, then looked down the ally way at Nick.

"Who's there!?" He yelled, a little apprehensive.

 _It IS him! Carrots isn't going to believe this!_

Nick hurried down the alleyway and faced this new human. He was taller then Nick, but not by much. His skin was dark, as was his eyes and hair aside from the obvious white, almost mohawk like stripe. His nose was distinct, topped with circular framed glasses and he was dressed casually, but still wearing his lab coat.

"I can't believe it! It's you isn't it!?" Nick exclaimed, unable to believe his luck. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The man asked, cocking his head slightly confused.

"Oh! Right. I keep forgetting I look different. Nick Wilde. First fox officer in Zootopia." He took an arrogant stance as he introduced himself. The doctor still looked confused for a moment.

"Did you say….Nick Wilde? Of Zootopia?"

"Yep! You may have heard of me from -"

"Your partner is Judy Hops! That amazing bunny cop! She worked with my wife about the animals that were going savage!" The man said excitedly.

Nick's posture fell and he looked unamused. "Uh…Yea. She's my partner."

"Is she here too!?" he looked around excited, he was clearly a huge fan. "Wait! Why are you two here? You shouldn't be here!" he exclaimed.

"We came looking for you! You can't really make portals to other worlds and then go through them, without causing concern." Nick crossed his arms and looked at the former skunk with a sneer

The skunk's demeanor changed "Oh damn." His eyes looked distressed and he began pacing as he spoke, running his hand through his hair. "I didn't think they'd actually send others through to find me! I didn't mean to be here that long, I just got so caught up with studying the animals here! It's fascinating isn't it?! Seeing our ancestors in their regressed states. We can learn a lot about this world."

"That why you're collecting rats?" Nick noticed the doctor's bag which was clearly moving.

"Just taking notes. You know one of my very good friends; a scientist also, is a rat." He looked off in the distance, clearly picturing his friend. "One of the cleanest and most intelligent gentlemen I know. If he knew his ancestors lived in garbage cans here…" The skunk chuckled to himself. "It's just all very interesting, isn't it?" he grinned.

"Sure thing." Nick was getting impatient. He wanted to end the small talk and finish this mission. "Well look buddy, glad you're okay, ya look great." He gave his most pleasant fake smile that he often whipped out during a hustle. "I think now it's time to head home and close up that little portal. Hm?"

"Oh no, I'm afraid I can't do that yet."

Nick's went deadpan. "Why not?"

"This…whole thing…it all originally just started as an experiment. But…" The doctor hesitated as he chose his words. "it… it just turned into so much more. I didn't expect animals to be in this world. It changed everything. There's still so much I need to learn!" He gestured with his arms wildly as he spoke. "There's much I've already learned."

"Look doctor. We can't keep that portal open. It could destroy Zootopia if the humans find it. Surely you know that." Nick pointed out.

"Yes…yes I was afraid of that too." He looked away from Nick for a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I need to share with you both what I've discovered. So you can understand. And then we can figure out what to do."

Nick sighed, defeated. "Fine. Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Meet me here at noon." He handed Nick a slip of paper with an address on it.

Nick looked at him suspiciously. "You better show up skunk! No sneaky stuff. I don't want to have to find you again."

The skunk laughed. "I'm sorry, who of us is the fox here? Wait a second…" the doctors eyes went wide. "You're not the fox who sold my late sister-in law's skunk fur as a rug to Mr. Big, are you!?"

Nick looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What?! Me!? No, no, no sir I am an officer. Noble, and um…Ya know on that note, it's getting late! Time to get going! We'll see you tomorrow! Enjoy you're rats!" And with that Nick was hastily making his way down the alleyway and back to Judy.

oOo

* * *

Judy was pacing the room, starting to worry about Nick. She knew he'd return in time, but she was still un sure of the dangers in this world and didn't want anything to happen to him.

Just before she was about to grab a jacket and go look for him she heard a click and the door swung open.

"I found Dr. Skunk!" Nick exclaimed.

She definitely didn't expect that to be the first thing out of his mouth. "You what?! How!?"

Nick told her the story of their encounter and showed her the address for the following day.

"Nick this is amazing! All we have to do is convince Dr. Skunk to return to Zootopia with us tomorrow and we can go home! " Judy hopped up and down bunny style and jumped forward to hug Nick. He caught her and let out a laugh.

"Good job, partner." Nick's was enjoying the feeling of Judy in his arms, but at the word 'partner' his body stiffened.

He wanted to be more than that.

Judy went to pull away, but Nick kept his arms secure. Judy's breath caught in her throat as she found herself still in his clutches, with the former foxes face dangerously close to her own.

"Judy…" he whispered. She shuddered. He rarely used her name, and he had certainly never said it like that. With such need.

"Yes?..." she whispered back, barely audible.

"I don't want to just be 'partners.' Not when we can try –" He was cut off before he could finish as Judy leaned up and pressed her lips firmly to his own. Nick sucked in a breath and tightened his grip on her.

This kiss was not like the delicate, shy kiss from a few hours ago. This kiss was hungry and full of years of pent up desire. Judy initiating it meant Nick wasn't holding back anymore.

Judy was finally allowing herself to feel in all the ways she was afraid of. The mixture of new instincts and old fantasies had her head whirling, and when she felt the fox's tongue slip into her mouth and her legs turned to jello.

"Sly fox," she moaned into his mouth as his tongue worked to memorize every detail of her own. He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes mischievous and gleaming.

"Alone, with a predator, and wearing that thin little sundress." He looked her up and down, greedily drinking in her appearance. "Dumb bunny," he growled, then instinctually lunged for her neck.

Her skin was hot under his lips and he could even feel her rapid rabbit-like pulse as he kissed and sucked his way from her jaw line down to her collarbone.

"You taste delicious, little bunny" he purred in her ear, then ran his tongue along the edge of it.

Judy's whole body was vibrating with feelings she had never before experienced. She ran her fingers through his hair, clinging to him, and tried to find the composure to kiss him as passionately as he was her. But the fact remained he was clearly the predator in this situation, he had caught his prey, and she was at his mercy.

Their kissing continued to become more desperate, and Judy felt fingers brush up the side of her leg, up her skirt and gently graze the underside of her ass cheek. Clearly wanting more Nick grabbed her ass and propelled her closer to him so they were flush up against one another.

Judy could feel his excitement, hard and hot pressing up against her. She was not a virgin, but these bodies weren't exactly the same of what she was used to. That thought made her stop for a second and pull back to look at Nick.

His hair looked wild, and his eyes slightly savage. He looked almost dangerous, and in her opinion sexy. He stopped and asked her "What is it?"

"It's nothing," she said in between heavy breathing. "I just…can't believe this is happening." She ran her hands down his chest, feeling his body underneath his shirt in awe.

Nick smirked, relishing in her touch.

She looked back up at him. "What happens if we-" Nick cut her off with another forceful kiss before she could finish her sentence. He pulled back leaning his forehead up against hers.

"No," he whispered almost harshly, "None of that talk. Not now. We've already crossed the line Carrots. I just want to enjoy this with you," He slowly backed her up into the bedroom until her legs hit the bed and folded under her, allowing her to fall back onto the soft mattress.

He crawled over top of her and she found herself completely surrounded and engulfed in Nick Wilde. His body, his scent, hovering over almost protectively and passionately.

They kissed and explored one anothers new forms. He worked at undoing the buttons down the front of her dress and she did the same with his infamous green shirt and undoing his bright orange tie. When he got to her breasts he lightly rubbed his hand around the left one, finally giving it a soft squeeze and running his finger over the nipple lightly, eliciting a low moan from his soon to be mate. He leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth as he slowly and deliciously ran his other hand up her hip, side and finally up the length of her stomach to grab her other breast.

When her dress was finally on the floor he took a second to admire her naked body underneath of him. It was perfect, at least in his opinion of human's bodies.

"Carrot's…" she looked up at him and he cleared his throat, breaking eye contact, not the best at showing emotional affection.

"Judy" he corrected himself. His eyes flickered back to hers. "…you are so beautiful."

And she could tell he meant it.

He lowered his body so they were once again flush with one another, and both of them allowed their instincts to take hold and guide them.

Nick's cock found her opening and he slowly pushed inside her. He thought his body was going to explode. NEVER had sex felt like this as a fox. He was practically shaking with anticipation as he waited for Judy to adjust underneath of him.

Judy was feeling the same sensations of ecstasy, and as he pushed himself fully inside of her, she looked down to see their bodies completely intertwined, feeling him fill her up and making her feel whole on many levels.

 _This is way better then any of my fantasies_

"Judy, I can't hold back," Nick managed to say between gritted teeth.

"Me neither," she whimpered, and suddenly both their primal instincts surged forward, both animal and human, and Nick began to pump in and out of her with force and need as she clawed to get even closer to him, trying to control the spasms running through her body and driving her crazy.

Everything was white hot, their bodies felt like they were on fire. It was like their bodies were starving for one another, unable to get their fill. It wasn't long before they were both close to climaxing.

Nick reached his head down to the crook of her neck and roughly whispered "cum for me little bunny."

And she did.

Wave after wave of pleasure wracked her body, which pushed Nick over the edge as well. Finally he came and his eyes snapped shut from the amount of pleasure he was feeling.

All that could be heard in the dark room was the sounds of heavy breathing. Nick was still hovering over Judy, his body starting to calm down as he slipped out of her and both of them sobering up out of the passion, taking in what they had just done.

They looked into each other's eyes, naked and sweaty, and unsure.

 _I can't believe I just banged Judy._

Nick wasn't sure what to do. They both were a little shocked. Especially at how powerful everything felt. He reached up and pushed a grey strand of hair from her face. He didn't want either of them to run, or ignore this, or try to forget it ever happened and go "back to normal."

He gulped.

"I love you." He said.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey all!

Sorry it took so long for me to update. It's been a busy week with work! Some of you commented that you were surprised Nick and Judy moved so quickly. I honestly did plan to make it a longer play, you could all clearly sense that from the other chapters, but as I was writing it kind of just fell into the story, so I went with what felt right. This is still my first fanfic! I'll have to plan my details out more carefully for the next one. Okay on to the good stuff!

oOo

* * *

Judy and Nick were dressing on opposite sides of the bed, both too nervous to look at the other. They had fallen asleep in each other's arms, and woke up unsure of where to go from here. Nick confessed his feelings for Judy but instead of confessing hers back she said nothing, and allowed herself to drift asleep laying close to him, dreaming about all the different ways this whole mess could go wrong.

At this point Nick felt like a total ass. _That moment felt so right! How could she not say anything?! Isn't that what chicks wanted?! Not for a guy to sleep with them because their hot, but because they actually care about them!_ He glanced over his shoulder at her awkwardly as she nervously adjusted her shirt. _Maybe it's not mutual…_ he thought. _Did I push this too far?..._

Judy hurried out of the room to make herself a coffee. Nick just threw his head back and arms up in defeat, looking up to the ceiling completely defeated and letting out a dramatic, frustrated sigh.

 _He loves me…He said he LOVES me!_ The sleep didn't help to calm Judy's mind. She knew she loved him too. When she heard those words she felt her heart soar. She was even close to tears. Ready to tell him she had been dreaming and wishing for this for two years. But when she looked down at her body and realized…it wasn't even her own. None of this was real. None of this could last. She just couldn't say it back. She couldn't allow them to have something so wonderful and then have it be snatched away from her.

She looked back into the bedroom at the former fox, watching him as he adjusted his tie. He looked sad, she thought.

oOo

They met Dr. Skunk outside of a large brick building, at the address he had given Nick. He was outside waiting for them, pacing and mumbling to himself.

"Doctor?" Nick called lightly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh! Nick! Yes, there you are. And Judy!" he ran up to Judy and began to excitedly shake her hand. "My wife and I are huge fans of the work you've done. You really have succeeded on so many levels and have been a major asset for the city of Zootopia. I just want to say –"

"Okay Skunk. I think she gets it. " Nick said crankily, stepping in between their handshake to put it to an end. Judy just laughed nervously and rubbed her hand.

"Well, thank you Dr. Skunk. Zootopia is my home, and I would do anything to protect it. Which is why we need to close that portal as soon as possible," she said determinedly.

The doctor rubbed his neck nervously. "Yes…yes I know."

"Great! Glad that we've all agreed on that little detail, now let's get ourselves back home, close the portal, and end this mission." Nick said, ushering the two to walk with him towards the park.

"No, Nick! We can't yet." Nick sighed again, not happy with his day. "And why is that?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"There's still too much I need to do here. This place needs help." He made a face that told Judy he was struggling to hold back his emotions. "They don't understand animals at all. These humans, they understand them scientifically, but there is still a lot they need to learn."

Judy looked at him concerned. "But we saw the Zoo and the museum. People seemed generally interested in the animals and in caring for them and studying them."

"Yes well…that's not all humans. Come with me. There's something I need to show you. It's why I brought you here."

Judy and Nick shared a look, then followed the skunk into the building.

oOo

* * *

It was cold inside the building, and the air felt stale. They were in a small hallway, with a receptionist desk and a door with writing on the glass. Judy peered ahead and squinted her eyes.

"What's a ' pound?'" She asked Dr. Skunk, but he didn't answer and just gave a nod to the receptionist, then opened the door.

Judy instantly felt sick when the door swung open. It was a drastic change from the silent, stale hallway. This place was loud. Very loud. And smelled of urine and feces.

Barking and meowing echoed from every part of the giant room to the point that Judy felt off balance from the intensity. They saw rows and rows of cages, creating aisles in this warehouse-like room, and Nick and Judy followed as Dr. Skunk began to walk down one of the aisles.

Judy peered into the cages and saw dogs. Some alone. Some with five or six other dogs. They had no beds, no toys, just a bowl of water. Many of them had defecated leaving a terrible stench. They were all in awful condition. Some very completely malnourished, other's had scars from fights, or were missing ears or tails. Many dogs barked wildly, trying to escape this hell, while others laid in the corner of their small space looking completely defeated, with cold sad eyes.

Judy was in shock. She looked over at Nick and for one of the first times ever she could completely read his emotions. There was no mask, no façade to seem cool or calm. He looked completely horrified.

After walking down one aisle she couldn't stand to continue. She turned to the former skunk. "What….what is this place?" she asked meekly.

"This my dear…is called a pound. You see, humans often times adopt animals into their families, to create bonds and relationships. It can really be a beautiful thing. I've observed some wonderful human/animal relationships from my time here. But I've also learned that many times there are humans that don't care for their new family members. They neglect them, hit them, use them in fights, or sometimes just …throw them away." The skunk had a lump in his throat and his voice cracked as he spoke. " A lot of those homeless animals end up here," he gestured around the room with his hands.

"Then what happens to them?" Judy whispered, afraid to hear the answer.

"They live here for a little bit of time. A month or so, in hopes that another family will stroll in and want to help them."

"And then what? What if a family never comes?" she asked. Nick stood silent, continueing to take this all in.

"They are killed."

Judy gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Killed?!" Nick exclaimed. "But why!?"

"Because the humans don't understand animals, that's why. Look around here," the doctor gestured with his hands again, "notice anything about these dogs? Any similarities?" he urged.

Nick and Judy looked around the room. "Not really, aside from them being abandoned in hell." Nick finally answered.

"There's a lot of bigger dogs…?" Judy said, hugging her own body to try and calm it.

"Exactly! Good observation Judy. Yes, there are a lot of bigger dogs. Mostly Pit Bulls, in fact."

"But that's ridiculous, everyone knows a Pit Bull is one of the most caring and sensitive kinds of dog," said Nick completely confused.

"Exactly my boy! That is _exactly_ my point! And you know what? These humans actually think there _dangerous._ Then they train them to fight one another to the death, for money."

"That's revolting! How could they do that?!" Judy was feeling so many emotions; disgust, anger, fear. She couldn't believe any of this.

"I don't know…" said the skunk sadly. "But that's why I can't leave this place. I can't leave behind all these poor animals without trying to help them. My conscious would eat away at me, knowing they are here, in this place, waiting to die."

"So…You want to bring them all back to Zootopia with us?" Nick asked.

"No," replied the doctor. "No…because there will always be more animals. There is, unfortunately, more awful things these humans do to animals here then just this place."

"There is?" Judy asked, amazed it could get any worse. "How could you possibly change any of this though? What could you do to help?"

"I can be a voice." Said the skunk, his voice filling with hope. "These humans," he paused for a moment to try and explain, "You see, they don't understand animals. Animals can't speak to them here. But as a human now, I can. I've seen successful and beautiful relationships between animals and people since being here. A lot of these humans do _want_ to connect with other creatures. They know how to love. It's possible to make a change."

Nick nodded, understanding the doctors point. "So…I guess that means we head back to Zootopia without you? It IS possible to close the portal right?"

"Oh yes, yes. I can close it. Using this." He pulled from his pocket a small black box, with green wires running around one side of it, and two buttons on the top. "You see this blue button closes it, and the yellow can potentially open it back up again."

"If you can close it and open it, then why didn't you close it after you got here? To Keep Zootopia safe?" asked Judy, as she started for the door, ready to leave this place and continue their conversation outside. Nick and the doctor followed.

"Well honestly, I wasn't sure it would work. I hadn't tried it yet, and I didn't want to be stuck over here without my wife. See, that's why I left it open. At first I wasn't sure what I would find here, so I left it open expecting to quickly return. But now, with what I've seen, I want to bring her here. She is a scientist too. Together I think we can make a real difference here. But I wanted to get things situated first before going back for her."

"So all you need is your wife and then you can close it?" asked Nick.

"Oh yes, I needed a couple of days before this place was ready for her. It took me a while to find a good place to stay. I don't want to bring her here and have her sleeping on the street.'

"I'm sure she's worried sick about you." Judy said, happy to open the door to sunlight and away from that scary place.

"Yes, I'm sure she is too. I wish I had a way to communicate, but –"

"We'll get her for you!" Nick exclaimed, a little too excitedly.

"We will? –"

"You will? –"

Asked the other two in unison.

"Absolutely Dr. Skunk." He slung his arm around the doctor in a friendly, and very un-Nick-like way. "Our job was to find you, and protect Zootopia. So if all you need is for us to go back to Zootopia and bring your wife to you, I think we can manage. " He gave a sly grin. "Then this whole mission can be over. You two can enjoy your new human existence, you can close the portal, Zootopia is safe and me and fluff butt here can go back to our lives as well." Judy crossed her arms and made a face at the phrase "fluff butt."

"Oh…well. Okay. Yes! That will give me a little more time to finish getting things ready for her."

"Great! Let's get rolling Carrots. Back to Zootopia!" Nick started to charge ahead towards the park.

"Uh Nick wait!" cried the doctor. Nick tried to control his rising frustration, and took a deep breath. Putting his grin back on, he turned around smoothly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can you retrieve her tomorrow? Our new residence won't be available until then. Go enjoy the city with Judy for the day. Get a little bit of fun in before you have to leave this place for good."

 _Oh if you only knew how much 'fun' we've seemed to have stumbled into already._

"Fine." Replied Nick. Judy giggled at his impatience. He glanced at her and felt himself soften. Maybe just _one_ more day in this form couldn't hurt.

oOo


	8. Chapter 8

Nick and Judy started heading towards the park to check on the portal, and make sure it was still well hidden.

They strolled in silence. Nick never felt this shy and uncomfortable around Judy before. _We had sex for crying out loud. And now I can't even figure out how to have a conversation._

He glanced over at her and she looked deep in thought. _Damn this entire situation for making me and Carrots the same species. A fox and a rabbit, the same god damn species!_

As they reached the edge of the park, Nick couldn't stand the silence any long.

"Judy I -–"

"Nick I -"

Both paused as they interrupted each other. Judy gave out a nervous giggle.

"Look Nick…about last night. I just wanted to say that –" but Nick cut her off before she could finish her thought. He couldn't stand hearing her rejection.

"It's fine Carrots," he said nonchalantly, shoving his hands in his pockets and putting on his coolest expression, "Hey, we got these new weird bodies, new weird urges. So we gave in to them a little. No harm no foul. But it's just instinct ya know? Male and female - same species - it's biology. It's just in our DNA, right cotton tail?" he gave a wink, and she looked at him confused.

"But…you said –"

"Well, don't you worry your little bunny brain about what I said. 'You know you love me,' is kind of one of our mottos." He gave her shoulder a playful shove. "But we're just friends Carrots. Best friends. You know that, right?"

 _Do I know that?_ She thought to herself. "Yes…yes I do." She said, forcing a smile and trying not to seem crestfallen. Underneath, it felt like her insides were being torn apart. But this is what she wanted. Being friends was safe, and all of this was temporary anyway.

oOo

* * *

They reached the portal and were relieved to find it untouched. In fact it looked as if some more leaves and trash piled over top of it since just a few days ago, making it even more undesirable to investigate.

"Well, glad that still hasn't been found. I suppose we have the rest of the day to enjoy the city," Said Nick. "What do you want to do Carrots?" he asked, glancing around the park for ideas.

He noticed Judy's eyes were locked on something. "I think I found something _you_ would like to do." A smile light up her face and Nick followed her gaze to a nearby ice cream stand.

"Oh no way! They have ice pops here?!" he exclaimed happily and practically raced Judy to the ice cream stand.

Judy was over the moon to see carrot cake flavored ice cream, by a brand called "Blue Bunny," which she got in a chocolate dipped cone. Nick was having trouble deciding and finally settled on a cone as well with two scoops of blueberry.

They found a nearby bench and decided to enjoy their midday treats while watching these strange yet seemingly familiar human species interact around the park.

There were loads of people at the park that day. To their left was a small family having a picnic in the grass, their youngest pup running around trying to catch bugs. To their right, Nick watched a man throw a Frisbee to his dog, who in Nick's opinion, was way too excited to go and retrieve it. It reminded him of the wolves, and the whole howling thing. He knew he was technically related to dogs but he just didn't get them.

"Everyone seems so content," Judy said, snapping Nick out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" he questioned, urging her to explain.

"This place…it's like another form of Zootopia. Certainly not perfect, but these people and their families, all just happily going through their day, enjoying the nice weather. Moments like this make me feel like this place isn't so bad."

Nick nodded in agreement, but wasn't sure what to say. He agreed, it wasn't hell on Earth. Being able to be the same species as her was certainly a perk. He mentally kicked himself for letting that thought creep up. _Stop thinking that way you fool. Best friends. Just friends. Remember that._

He glanced over at Judy and his eyes went wide. He stared as she started sucking on her ice cream cone. His jaw went slack and he let out an audible groan as he watched it start to dribble out the side of her mouth.

 _Oh my god…_

"Mmmm…" she said blissfully, enjoying one of her favorite treats. The moan that escaped her lips caused his pants to feel tight. _I can't handle this._ He stopped the torture by snatching the ice cream cone from her hand, and shoved the whole thing in his mouth, finishing it in one big bite.

"Hey! What gives! I was enjoying that!" Nick just smirked, eager to annoy her.

"Aw, sorry about that _honey bunny._ Had to try some of that carrot cake _"_ She huffed at his sarcastic tone.

"You hate carrots." She stated bluntly, crossing her arms. And she was right. He almost choked swallowing his least favorite flavor, but kept his annoying grin, eager to cover his sexual thoughts with friendly banter.

"Here Judes I'll make it up to you. Hand me your garbage, I'll go toss it out." She sighed, obviously unable to ever get the last few bites of her ice cream back, and shoved her napkins in his open hand.

He wiped his face with a napkin of his own, and got up to make his way towards the nearby trash. Tossing their garbage, he turned back and saw an unfamiliar figure looming next to Judy.

 _What the hell?_ He thought.

He took a moment to figure out if they knew this guy, than realized what was happening here. The guy was hitting on her!

He could feel his blood starting to boil. He wanted nothing more then to go over there and punch this smarmy ass hole in the face. But he needed to remember, Judy wasn't his, and the last thing his little bunny enjoyed is being spoken for. He had to just sit back and deal.

The guy was tall, with dark hair and darker skin then what Nick had been given in this form, but not as dark as Dr. Skunks. He was certainly bigger then Nick. _I could still take him._ Nick thought.

The stranger had a bike by his side and he was grinning at Judy while leaning over the handlebars, trying to come off as charming.

Nick noticed that Judy was laughing back, and he felt his hands ball into fists. He stopped for a minute and wondered if that's the kind of guy that was attractive in these human forms. He certainly knew from first glance of Judy's human form that was stunning. Obviously this guy noticed it too. But what did she think of him? Was he attractive in this form? He wasn't as big as that other guy, but he was taller. The stranger looked a little bulgy, like a rhino, while Nick's muscles were defined but not as swollen.

And his hair was red.

Looking around the park he noticed it was a color he didn't see often. Was that because it was weird or just rare? What if red didn't make it through the human gene pool because it wasn't seen as attractive?

No, no, he didn't see anyone as young as Judy with gray hair either. It's just a detail of their animal form.

But still…what if Judy didn't like red?

He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice Judy desperately trying to signal him to come back over.

oOo

 _What the hell is he doing?! He's just standing there like a total idiot. Doesn't he see me trying to get his attention? Why is letting this big oaf talk to me?!_

"Yea and so then last time I went to the gym, I tried doing this one workout where…."

 _Ugh…this guy is a total bore. I can only be friendly for so long._

"Um – I'm sorry. My um….friend….is over there. I should just-" she stood up as she said this, finally getting Nick's attention as she changed her position. She glanced over her shoulder at him and they made eye contact. She gave him a pleading face and he instantly made his way over to the duo.

"Hey there Carrots! And you are? " he turned to the stranger.

"Names Chase." The man said shortly, sticking out his hand for a handshake. Nick and Judy just looked at his hand confused.

"Great. Chase. Well, so nice meeting you and all, but me and my friend need to be going now." Nick and Judy went to turn and walk off, but Chase moved into their path.

"Friend? Well that's good! I was afraid you were gonna say he was your boyfriend." Chase laughed at his own joke, but Judy and Nick looked unamused. "So if you're single, I'd love to get your number. We could hang out some time." He flashed his pearly whites and winked in Judy's direction.

"Oh, umm, I'm afraid I'm not looking to date right now." Judy smiled, letting him down nicely, then continued to move out of Chase's way.

He stepped in front of Judy and Nick for a second time, clearly not taking no for an answer. "Look, I know I didn't really get to put my best foot forward here. But you are just so beautiful, please give me a chance to take you out. Just one date." Judy blushed and stuttered, not used to being pursued like this.

At this point Nick was fighting some very strong instincts welling up within his body; Jealousy, protectiveness over his bunny, and complete annoyance towards this idiot.

"Look. Chase. The lady said no. So buh-bye." Nick said, still trying to play cool. Chase looked Nick up and down, clearly sizing him up.

"Did she though? See I think she probably doesn't want to hurt her friends feeling, by giving away her number another guy while their hanging out. But she's clearly put you in the friend-zone dude. It's nothing against you. "

That was it. Nick felt like he got hit with a blast of night howler serum. His blood felt like it was on fire and he was seeing red. Still desperate to try and not lose control in front of Judy he glanced down at Chase, looming his body over him like the predator he was.

Chase, usually not one to back down from a fight, looked up into Nick's eyes and swore he saw a flash of something animalistic. He cowered a bit, unsure of what this guy was capable of.

Nick let a growl escape his lips and his lip curled as he said "Go."

Chase tried to laugh off Nick's behavior, but was clearly shaken. He gathered his bike and walked off without another word to Judy.

Judy was covering her mouth, trying to stifle her laugh at seeing Nick be so protective. She couldn't help but admit she liked it.

He turned when he heard her laugh and his body cooled.

"Dumb humans," he said, grinning and reverting back to the calm and collected Nick that Judy knew so well.

"Thank you." She said sincerely, reaching for his hand.

He looked down at their intertwined hands, giving hers a soft squeeze. He couldn't believe how much had happened between them in the past few days. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her relentlessly.

As their eyes met he dropped her hand, and once again things felt awkward. They stood there for a moment more before Judy's head perked up.

"What's up?" Nick asked

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That music!" she exclaimed happily.

"Seems you still have that bunny hearing, even in this world," he laughed, and she grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the wonderful sound.

oOo

* * *

Judy was right, there was music nearby. They had stumbled on a festival of some sorts in the middle of the park.

Judy, being a huge music fan, ran straight towards the stage with Nick close behind.

The crowd was too thick for her to get as close as she wanted, but they found an elevated space in the back where they could see the performer pretty well.

"This musician reminds me of Gazelle!" Judy yelled over the music. Nick looked around to find a sign with the artists name on it.

"Look!" he found a flyer on the ground with the artist's pictures on the front. "Says here her name is ' Shakira.'"

Judy just shrugged in response, never hearing the name and obviously not knowing much about the pop stars in this strange land, but she was enjoying herself.

They relished in the music for a bit, but Nick had eyed up some food stands towards one side of the festival and convinced Judy to join him on his hunt.

"I don't know what a lot of this is…" Judy said, looking around and trying to figure out what would entice her.

"This smells pretty good." Nick sniffed the air and walked over to a stand labeled 'Pizza.' He ordered himself a Hawaiian slice and grabbed Judy one with vegetables.

They both got their food and looked at it hesitantly before taking a small bite. Both their eyes lit up at the flavor and hunger over took them as they devoured the food in seconds.

"This is amazing!" Judy exclaimed.

"Yea, we gotta get this recipe and bring this back to Zootopia with us! We'll be rich!" mumbled Nick between chews.

There were so many new things to discover in this world, and this festival provided a great place to start. After enjoying their pizza they indulged in some simple games, checked out some artists and shops that were set up, and laughed at some of the people they were interacting with throughout the afternoon.

They both finally felt like close friends again. There was no awkwardness and no sexual tension. It was just pure fun, and the relationship they had built over their years in Zootopia had resurfaced to give them a great day together.

After a couple of hours they decided to rest on the edge of the field, away from the shops and closer to the music. Groups of people were camped out with blankets, picnic wear and lawn chairs, as they made food and listened to the music coming from the stage.

Nick laid on the grass and Judy was sitting up, still enthralled by all the new music she was hearing.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked the two, causing Judy to turn her head and Nick to sit up on his elbows.

"Sorry to bother you!" said a young girl, with curly brown hair. "We have to head out of here and have all this beer left over. Wanted to see if you guys would like it!" she offered, showing the a six pack of some odd drink.

"Beer?" Judy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yea! We just didn't want it to go to waste!" said the girl over the music. She smiled and Nick and Judy could sense she was being genuine, as her friends waved to them behind her.

"Sure! We'll take your um….Beer?" Said Nick, hoping he said the correct name for the drink.

"Great! Enjoy you guys!" she said happily, before running off with her friends.

"What's beer?" asked Judy.

"No idea, but I figure if were only here for one more day may as well try whatever we can," said Nick as he opened up a can and started to chug the brew. His face twisted and he pounded on his chest, letting out an uncharacteristic belch. "Oh geeze. Carrots you gotta try this stuff," he said, handing her a can.

At first she wasn't sure, but when she saw his grinning face she figured what the hell? "Oh, why not!" she laughed, pushing aside any hesitance and grabbing for the brew. "What's the worst that could happen?" she laughed.

oOo

* * *

An hour had gone by of them drinking their beers, and the two had caught a cab back to their hotel.

Nick was feeling a little light-headed, but he could tell he wasn't sick. Something about the feeling he liked. Judy seemed to be feeling it too, and any time he said something she would let out this girlish giggle, which he found completely endearing.

Nick pushed the room key into the lock, and opened the door as Judy reenacted the last bit of the story she was telling him.

"So then after Gideon left, I stood up and I said to my friends" Judy strolled into the room and stood tall as she recited this part of the story, mimicking the stance of her younger self. "He's got one thing right. I DON'T know when to quit!" she said, striking a pose and then bursting into giggles as she looked down at Nick.

He was laughing too. "You did not!" he barked.

"I did!" she exclaimed back with elated enthusiasm, plopping down onto the bed. "That Gideon Gray didn't scare me!"

"Coming from a girl who used to carry fox repellent." He shot back, teasingly, loosening his tie for bed.

She rolled her eyes. "I told you, that was all my parents influence. I already knew all foxes are not like Gideon!"

" I dunno, you sure about that Carrots?" he asked, looking as sly a fox as ever in his human form.

"Oh shut up Wilde. Not all foxes are like Gideon used to be…" she hesitated a moment, and then looked him in the eyes with the shadow of a smirk lingering on her lips. "I know they're not all as charming as _you_ either." She felt giddy and daring, batting her long eyelashes at him and Nick felt a tightness in his chest.

"Charming huh? Are you flirting with me officer Hops?" he leaned down, positioning his lips very close to her ear, unable to resist indulging in a touch of flirting himself.

"I do believe that goes against protocol. We should talk about something else," he whispered, trying to tease her away from this particular subject.

Judy felt his breathe tickle her ear and a shiver ran through her body as she felt his lips so close to her. She peered up at him as he stood back up, taking in his appearance in this form. She found him utterly attractive, standing there loosening his tie and smirking down at her confidently.

"Screw protocol" she said, standing up and boldly lunging towards him, pushing his back against the wall with her hands on his chest as she firmly pressed her lips against his own.

Nick was in complete shock. All day he had been focusing on controlling himself around her, and now she was throwing herself at him!?

Her lips moved desperately across his own and she pressed her body up against his, causing him to moan with desire. Oh how he wanted this. He wanted this more then anything in the world. But last night he admitted he loved her and got nothing back. Today they were 'just friends.' And now they had indulged in some of that weird drink that was making them feel funny and she was suddenly in his arms? He didn't feel right about this. _Dumb fox, you're going to regret this._

He grabbed Judy by the shoulders and pushed her away from him, searching her eyes for some sort of the answer to the hundreds of questions running through his mind.

"Judy…what are you doing?" he asked, his voice low and feral sounding, giving away the loose hold he had on himself.

Judy looked him in the eyes, uncertain of the words she wanted to express. "Please….Nick…" was all she whispered, before standing on her tip toes to once again reach his mouth with her own.

His body felt like jello and it took every ounce of will power to push her away a second time.

"Carrots…I don't know what to do here. I told you that I…" he stopped for a moment, not sure how to continue. He convinced her this morning his statement of love meant nothing. If he took that back now she could break his heart and there would be no back-tracking from here.

"Nick, I'm scared." She said, before he could finish his thought. Hearing she was scared sobered him up a bit and he looked at her concerned. "Scared?" he asked.

"I'm scared of loving you…and not being able to be with you. We can't be together as a fox and a bunny in Zootopia." Nick glanced down, struck by the truth of her statement.

"I know." He said matter-o-factly. "We can't."

"And I didn't want to give in to this here and change our relationships and then have all these regrets," she started rambling, clearly letting a huge load of emotions off her shoulders. "But now…now I..."

"Now you what?" he breathed.

"Now I don't care what we can and can't do in Zootopia! We aren't in Zootopia. Right now we're here. As the same species, given a chance to experience this….this…this" before she could finish Nick grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers lovingly.

She kissed him back, much more feverishly then the first night they were intimate. "I know this won't last forever." She whispered in between breaths "But I just need to enjoy this with you, for now… until it's over. "

"Ten-four Carrots." He said, and reached down underneath her knees, lifting her into his arms bridal style. He was only two steps from the bed and lowered her on it. He pressed his nose into the crook of her neck and breathed in her scent, making sure to memorize it in case he never gets to feel this again.

He reached to unbutton her shirt, but Judy put her hands on his chest. "Wait…"she whispered seductively. Lightly pushing his body she urged him to roll over. He did so, looking at her confused.

This time she spread her legs and sat over his body as she reached up and slowly started to undo the buttons of her shirt. Nick had to literally gulp at the air as he took in the vision of her straddling him. _Only in my wildest dreams_ he thought to himself, never thinking he'd actually experience the day Judy Hops would choose to straddle and strip for him.

Nick was dieing of anticipation and grasped and kneaded her hips as he watched her undress before him. She was so beautiful. He ran a hand up her tight flat stomach and up to one of her breasts, enjoying their fullness.

"I like these things," he grinned, as his other hand reached up to pay attention to the other breasts. Judy smiled shyly and closed her eyes as she relished in him touching her body.

Leaning over him she started to trail kisses from his neck, down his stomach undoing his shirt buttons along the way. Finally she reached his pants and her delicate fingers began to remove the offending garment.

Judy wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. She was following instincts that she was familiar with as well as instincts she had only felt within this body. At the moment she was feeling the urge to do something she had never done as a bunny.

"Judy? Um what are you-" but Nick couldn't finish the sentence. The poor guy couldn't speak at all as he felt his best friend bend down and take his entire length into her mouth. He literally saw stars, and grasped the bed at the intense pleasure that was coursing through his body.

Judy worked on his erection, sucking and pumping, but mostly enjoying the reactions she was getting from him. Seeing the always cool and confident Nick Wilde squirming underneath her touch felt empowering and it made her feel sexy and turned on that she could effect him in such a way.

She could tell he was getting close, and as she released him for a moment to catch her breath he grabbed her shoulders and swiftly pushed her body down onto the bed climbing behind her.

"Well now _honey bunny_ ," he whispered in her ear from behind and she felt goosebumps rise all over her body, "I think it's _my_ turn to take over."

Nick grabbed at her panties, currently the only article of clothing left on her body, and yanked them down as he maneuvered himself behind her. She was on all fours, completely turned on by the familiar animalistic position, and fantasies of this exact situation from the last two years as fox and bunny filled her head.

In one quick movement the fox entered her and Judy cried out in immense pleasure allowing herself to fully experience what was happening, both mentally and physically. This was pleasure and love on every level, and this time she wasn't holding back.

They made love four times that night, experimenting with their new bodies and allowing themselves to feel every possible human feeling they could muster. It was beautiful and messy and erotic, and Judy never imagined sex could be so intense and enjoyable.

Nick felt like he was high for hours on end. His emotions mixed with such strong pleasure made his head spin. His hands roamed over every nook and cranny of Judy's body. He smelled her, tasted her, whispered compliments in her ear and memorized every last detail of her beautiful human self. She was a goddess and he was obsessed. He had never felt this way in his life. Every moment of affection he had told himself to hold back that day came pouring out of him and he allowed himself to express it all physically.

By 3 in the morning they had both climaxed for the last time that night, falling into a sweaty heap on the bed. Judy's body was still convulsing and when she finished she allowed her head to loll to the side, making eye contact with Nick.

He was just staring. A smile was on his face, along with his signature, half-lidded look, and he was staring at her with a deep emotion she couldn't quite pin point.

"You okay?" she asked through droopy eyes and between exhausted breaths.

He felt like he was on top the world, being able to bring such pleasure to his love and watching her relish in it. "Never better Carrots," he replied, wrapping his body around hers so they could fall into a safe, blissful slumber.

He took another deep breath to memorize her scent. This night he wasn't going to stupidly express his feelings. He didn't want her to either. Fact of the matter was, tomorrow they were going back to Zootopia to retrieve the skunk's wife.

Tomorrow they would be predator and prey again. And today would be just a distant memory consisting of the best day of his entire life.

Judy snuggled into him, so amazingly happy, and at the same time beyond scared to go back home and never feel this again.

 _I love you Nick Wilde_ was the last thought she had before drifting off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Thanks for your continuous positive feedback! I apologize for so many spelling errors in the last chapter. No one mentioned anything, haha, but I went back to re-read and was like ' those poor readers! ' So sorry about that! I usually have to do my writing at night and my eyes can get tired. But I fixed any mistakes if anyone goes back for a re-read =). This chapter shouldn't be as painful. Enjoy!

oOo

* * *

Judy awoke and rolled over, stretching her arm out, expecting to feel a warm body beside her. When her arm hit the cool empty sheets of the bed though, her eyes squinted in confusion. She sat up quickly looking around for Nick.

A moment later she heard a click and saw the door to the hotel room open. In walked Nick with two coffees in his hand and a brown paper bag.

"Morning," he said cooly, setting the coffee and food down on the small table in the room across from the bed. "Figured we could use a good breakfast before, ya know, jumping through portals that defy all logic of time and space."

Judy giggled, rubbing her sleepy eyes and sitting up. Instinctually she held the sheets up to cover herself and peered up at Nick.

Nick was staring at her and strolled over to the bed never breaking eye contact. He leaned down, inches from her face and lightly grabbed at the sheets she was holding. "I only get a few more hours to be with you like this, Carrots" he whispered, gently tugging at the sheet. "Don't hide from me," he finished with a smile tugging at his lips, before successfully removing the sheet from her body. His eyes traveled from her face down her body, taking in every detail in the early morning light.

After last night he was feeling much more forward, knowing Judy had some sort of attraction towards him. He no longer felt the awkward tension of the unknown the way he had the previous morning. He felt like he could be the ever-confident Nick Wilde now, and boldly reached out, lightly running his hand from her hip, up her side, and back down again. Judy closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation, and even gave in to a light shiver. Nick's smirk widened at her reaction.

He loomed over her, leaning in more to press his face into the crook of her neck. He breathed in deep, possessed by her scent, and lightly ran his lips across her neck and shoulder. Never kissing, but lightly teasing as his lips brushed over her skin.

 _How can he drive me so wild,_ she thought, trying to catch her breath.

He pulled back, still so close and ready to go in for the kill. He grabbed her waist firmly, pulling her towards him to finally close the gap.

 ***BEEP BEEP BEEP***

Judy gasped and sat up, knocking Nick off balance.

"Oh my gosh the alarm! We have to get going and meet Dr. Skunk!" she exclaimed, bolting up to quickly grab a towel and jump in the shower.

Nick's head fell and he groaned. "Ughhh! _Come on_ Carrot's, I think he can wait a couple of minutes." He popped his head back up and looked at her, cocking an eyebrow suggestively.

"With you, it's never just a couple minutes," she retaliated, smiling sweetly then swiftly made her way into the bathroom, turning on the shower and closing the door.

For a quick moment Nick's face showed pride for the compliment, than he held up his finger, opening his mouth to continue his approach but was met with a door in his face.

He heard the gush of water from the shower and tried to open the door but it was locked. Giving out a small 'hmph' to himself, he raised his voice so Judy could hear him through the noise of the shower. "Aw you're not even gonna let me join you in there Cotton Tail?!"

He heard a laugh from the other side of the door. "Definitely not a safe idea, you sly fox. We'll end up being stuck in this hotel room all day and never get back to the portal or to Zootopia."

For a few moments Nick stared at the white door in front of him, deep in thought. He listened to Judy showering on the other side and lightly reached his hand up to touch the door, as if his touch could transfer to her skin, lovingly stroking her cheek the way he had last night. Letting his head fall harder then he anticipated he pressed his forehead against the door with a soft thud.

"…Maybe…." He sighed.

"Maybe I don't want to go back to Zootopia," he confessed, half to himself and half hoping she could hear him. There was no reply from Judy, and Nick stood there with his forehead pressed against the door for what felt like an eternity. Finally the water stopped, and when he heard the jiggling of the handle he took a step back to clear the way for Judy.

She had her jeans and flannel shirt on, hair still wet, and when she slowly opened the door she looked up Nick with hesitation and confusion.

"What do you mean… you don't want to go back?" she asked, barely above a whisper, not sure of what he was trying to say.

Nick stuttered for a moment, having thought she didn't hear him. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't even know why he said it, it just came out. "I…I mean I….I'm just…" she was looking deeply in his eyes, desperately searching for an answer.

"I'm just not ready for this to end yet." He finally said admittedly.

She looked away sadly, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. " _'Yet.'_ " she repeated back at him. "That's the point. It has to end eventually. Nick, we have to go back."

He nodded, having nothing left to say. He knew she was right.

But he didn't want her to be.

oOo

* * *

They arrived at the portal a few minutes after Dr. Skunk. They spotted him when they got close, pacing by the portal and mumbling to himself.

"What's up Doc?" Judy asked. Nick and Dr. Skunk both stared at her oddly.

Nick shook his head looking puzzled. "Something about you saying that, Hops, gave me weird De Ja Vu."

Dr. Skunk moved past the subject and handed the duo a piece of paper with his address and a note to his wife explaining what was happening, and with his signature to ensure she trust them.

"I'll finish up everything here, and as soon as you bring her back tonight you two can go home and close the portal forever." Dr. Skunk smiled, putting his hands on both their shoulders and looking between the two less then happy faces.

He could sense something was wrong. "Everything alright?" the doctor asked.

"Just peachy." Nick replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, tempted to roll his eyes.

Judy took a deep breathe and decided it was time. "Okay. Let's do this." Judy said, painting her face with determination. _As great as this has been. Oh god and it's been really, really great. I mean he is just – ugh focus Judy! As great as this has been I am ready to get back home. I'll be in my body, and can look back at this as a once in a lifetime experience, that I will always treasure._

As she finished her thoughts she realized Nick had approached her.

"You ready Nick?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Just one more thing," he said, then grabbed her waist, pulling her towards him and pressing his lips on her own in an intimate, searing kiss. He openly kissed her with love this time, cradling her face in his hands and softly stroking her cheek. Not a timid first kiss, and not a passionate sex driven one. This kiss was telling her he loved her, with every ounce of his soul, and that he wanted to milk every last second of having her in his arms before saying goodbye to this alternate version of their relationship.

Judy felt her legs turn to jello as the world around her melted away and she returned his kiss with just as much affection. Finally they separated, looking into each other's eyes fondly.

 _And then he does something like that. God damn you Nick Wilde. How am I possibly supposed to forget this feeling?_

Judy was clearly having some sort of internal battle, and Nick lightly interrupted her thoughts.

"Okay. Now I'm ready." He spoke softly.

 _Please let my old body stop me from feeling this anymore. I couldn't bare wanting him so bad and never being able to be with him again._

She inhaled deep, straightening her shoulders to appear strong and confident, then turned towards the portal.

"Me too."

oOo

* * *

The portal felt the same way It had the first time. His body was being pulled in every direction, his skin burning as hair reappeared all over his body and he bones on fire as they shrunk down to their previous size. Just like before he thought he couldn't take it anymore until finally landing on his face inside the monitored room of the laboratory. In an instant, guards and paramedics surrounded Nick and Judy, as their vitals were checked for any problems and Bogo was radioed that they had returned.

Nick glanced over at Judy as everyone swarmed around them and their eyes met through the rush of animals. She was back to her old bunny self, with her long gray ears and clothes resized to fit her like their last trip through the portal. He looked down at his paws, claws returned and covered in auburn hair that was accustomed to seeing his whole life.

He was a fox again.

She was a bunny.

They were two totally different species.

And as he looked at her, at this species that was never meant to be anything more then his dinner, he realized with a heavy heart that he still loved her more then anything in the world.

oOo

* * *

Nick and Judy were swept away to different rooms where medical supplies were arranged like a hospital to make sure there were no dangerous side effects from their travel. They were not allowed outside the laboratory until they were temporarily quarantined to make sure not to bring back any unknown disease. Doctors awaited their arrivals and Nick sat on the hospital bed lamely as they tested his vitals. He was in a totally different head space, and wasn't sure what to do. Doctor Skunk's wife would be arriving soon to see if they found him, he would give her the letter, she could gather her things to go through, and in just a few hours portal would be closed forever. Gone along with his chance to be with Judy.

He sighed like the sad love sick puppy he felt like.

"WILDE!" he heard a booming voice yell, as heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway to his room. _That sounds like Chief Bogo,_ Nick thought, _but angrier then usual._

The door to his room didn't just slam open, Chief Bogo basically broke It down, leaving cracks in the walls where the door and his hoof slammed into. Nick bolted up in bed, never having seen the chief in this fit of range. This bull was seeing red.

The doctors back away from Nick and Bogo stomped over to him. He crushed his eyes shut, clearly trying to control his anger.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?!" He managed to get out between gritted teeth.

Nick was slightly panicking. Did Bogo go savage while he was gone? Even when he was his usual temperamental self he still wasn't like this. He's not sure what the hell he could have done to piss the chief off this much, especially while he was away in another _damn_ dimension

"Sir I-I have no idea what you're talking about. What's going on?" His ears were back, a plain give away that he was having trouble keeping his cool.

"SHE'S PREGNANT, WILDE!" he bellowed.

Nick just looked at him with wide eyes, still unsure of what exactly was going on. "What? She? She who?" he asked still confused at the anger in Chief Bogo's eyes.

"Judy! She is PREGNANT!" Nick's eyes went even wider and his mouth hung open like a gaping fish. Chief Bogo continued, "When the doctors did her blood work her results came back that she was pregnant. She said the only animal she slept with was YOU! Over THERE! AS THE SAME SPECIES! HOW DIM-WITTED CAN YOU BE FOX!?"

Realization hit Nick as he bolted up on his feet, throwing his hands on his head in panic. "But…BUT HOW!? It was just. I mean." This didn't make any sense. How could this happen? "But we were only there for a couple days! How could they know so soon!?"

"Seems those human's have a different gestation period then bunnies, you _idiot_. Two days pregnant to a human translating to two days pregnant as a bunny, when bunny's are only pregnant for 30 days, means she's is far enough along for us to detect it!"

"Holy shit." Nick whispered, running his paws through his ears, trying to make sense of all this. "HOLY. SHIT. So that means….that means. Chief what does this mean?"

"It means you're a horny fucking MORON!" he yelled as he slammed a hoof down on the table next to Nick's bed. "It also means, we don't know what the hell is going to happen if she stays pregnant here." Bogo took a deep breath and finally let his body relax slightly as he straightened up and rubbed his aching head.

"What do you mean?"

"For Christ's sake Wilde, do I have to spell everything out for you!? You're a FOX and she is a BUNNY. You can't breed! We have no idea how that baby will come out, or if it will even survive! If her body doesn't reject the pregnancy the baby could still come out completely deformed! Or worse, it could still be a human inside of that tiny bunny! You guys need to get back to the human world as soon as possible. The longer her body develops the baby here the more dangerous it will be for the baby and for her! If you want to keep the baby, you've got to go back."

"Keep the baby?" Nick whispered, repeating Bogo's words back to him as he took in this huge unexpected news.

Bogo grabbed Nick by his tie and collar and lifted him off the ground, putting them eye to eye and Bogo snarled at him.

"Don't you DARE abandon that bunny you sneaky, overly cocky fox. If she wants to keep that baby, you BETTER be there for her every step of the way or so help me-" Nick started to gain his senses, and as shocking as the news was, how dare anyone question how much he cared about Judy.

He reached up and ripped the chiefs hands off of his shirt, jumping down off the ground and taking a strong stance as he looked up at his boss.

"No, YOU listen _CHIEF."_ His fur seemed even redder then usual and his eyes were fiery. "I love _'that bunny'_ more then I've loved anything or anyone in my entire LIFE. Judy has been my partner and best friend for the past two years, and I would never, EVER do anything to hurt her, or leave her. I don't need you telling me otherwise!"

Bogo's stature relaxed and his eyes softened as he looked down at the irate fox. He gave a small smile and put his hoof on Nick's shoulder. "Good. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear." Nick looked down at the hoof, his rapid breathing beginning to settle, shocked to be receiving genuine approval from the chief for the first time.

"Now. Go see her."

Nick had nothing more to say, he just bolted out of the room down the hall, happy to have his fox speed back again to he could get to Judy as fast as possible.

oOo

* * *

Judy was in shock. Complete and utter shock. She felt like she was going to be sick as she laid a paw over her stomach and looked down at it like it was some completely foreign object to her.

The door burst open and Nick came skidding through it, making Judy jump and retract her paw.

"Nick!" she exclaimed as he caught her off guard. As soon as they made eye contact she knew that he knew and averted her gaze, too embarrassed by all of this to even look him in the eye.

He just stood there, staring at her, not saying anything. He kept opening his mouth to say something but wasn't sure where to start.

She watched as he looked all around the room, hoping for a hint at how to start a sentence and scratching his neck nervously. He was completely a fox again, and stood in front of her as the familiar partner and friend she really needed right now. Her eyes started to water and the last thing she wanted to do was cry but she couldn't control it.

He saw the tears and he finally found his voice.

"I'm so sorry!" He belted out, rushing to her side. "I didn't know. I mean I never even thought."

"I know, I didn't either…"she said looking up at her old friend. He was back in his old form, but as he looked down at her she could feel her heart swell in a familiar way. She sighed inwardly. _Of course I still love him._ _I was a fool to think changing bodies would change my feelings for him._

"So…what do we do?" she asked hesitantly.

"Bogo said we have to go back." Nick said, then choked out his next question, "that is…if you want to keep it?" he looked at her nervously.

"I…I don't know. Nick I never expected this!" The water-works started flowing and Nick wrapped his paws around Judy, pulling her close.

"Shhh….shhh Carrots. C'mon, it'll all be okay. I mean…I think I'd make a pretty okay dad." He smirked and heard her laugh into his chest in between tears as he said this. "What? You think that's funny?" he scoffed.

She laughed in between her tears again. "No…I just. I never thought I'd hear you direct those words to me. This is all so unreal." She wiped her eyes and leaned back to look up at him.

"I know," he replied, lightly rubbing her back.

"What if something's wrong with the baby? What if we have to stay in the human world forever? I mean we can't just have a baby and then give it up to come back here. Could we even bring it back here?" she was starting to become frantic, and Nick grabbed her chin softly forcing her to look at him.

"It's all going to be alright. First we need to get you back. Then we can figure things out from there."

She sighed.

"What about Dr. Skunk's wife?"

"I can find her. You just worry about explaining all this to your parents"

"Oh god…"

"Then I'll meet you back in the human world, Okay?"

She looked up at him, clearly nervous about this entire situation. A million doubts were running through her mind. He reached out and ran a paw down one of her long, beautiful ears.

"We'll be fine Carrots. We always figure things out. You know that right? " Then he leaned over and gave a kiss on her cheek.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the sweet gesture. "Do I know that?" she asked quietly, opening her eyes to look at the fox in front her. She observed his confident smile and obvious affection shining through his half-lidded eyes. He seemed so calm, which made her calm as well. "Yes…yes I do."

oOo

* * *

Author Note: Don't worry everyone! It's still not the end, but we are getting close. =)


	10. Chapter 10

Okay everyone! Here it is! I know you've all been waiting! I got called out for a work trip last minute and unfortunately couldn't update! Sorry about that!

Also I got some feedback saying my story was flawed by having pets and pounds incorporated, theory being Judy and Nick wouldn't know what dogs were because they are animals that were domesticated by humans. I just want to say, that is a detail I thought of, but then I thought to myself; if we were going to get that technical we could go on about "Well then how would they know the English language because humans invented it? And how would Zootopia have cell phones?" and so on and so forth. So because we've already accepted these worlds mirror one another, and not have to ask "Really, how is ANY of this possible?" I figured better to keep to the main point of the story; to show a love story and the difference between being an animal and being human across the board, and not muddy up the 'how's' and 'why's' too much.

Thanks everyone else for your feedback and cries for more! =D On to the story! You've waited long enough haha.

oOo

* * *

"Holy shit…holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…" Nick was pacing back and forth in one of the rooms adjacent from the portal, running his paws through his hair, trying to keep his head on straight.

"I'm gonna be a dad….I can't even believe this." His eyes darted around the room as his thoughts ran wild. "A little kit. A little fox kit of my own. Or bunny? Or human? Oh god what if it's all three?" He was still in shock. Never, did he think his attraction towards Judy would ever amount to anything. Let alone to them being able to mate. And not in a million years did he think they would conceive!

But it did amount to something…. something amazing.

And they were able to mate, and it was everything he dreamed of.

And they did conceive. They were in this together. So he had to do right by her and take care of his little bunny. He loved her and he was going to love this child as well, no matter what it was.

There was a knock on the door and Bogo came in, much more calm then he was when he cornered Nick earlier. There was shuffling noises and Nick could see he was being followed by a much smaller, black and white animal; Dr. Skunk's wife.

She had two large suitcases and wearing the same lab coat and spectacles she was when Nick saw her during the night howler incident. She was looking back and forth between Nick and Bogo nervously.

"Um..I got the letter from Chief Bogo. The letter my husband wrote." She spoke softly. If Nick looked closely enough he could see she was shaking slightly. "This other world…Is it... Is it safe?" she peered up at him, her glasses making her eyes look even larger and more frightened.

"Well,…it's certainly not perfect," he said in his usual, carefree sort of way. But when he realized that probably wasn't going to help this poor animal he decided to cover his tracks a bit. "But that's why your husband wanted you to join him. To help change that." He smiled and the female skunk nodded, looking away from him in thought.

"I love my husband more then anything." She whispered, genuinely. "I'm so glad to know he's safe. If he thinks this is a good idea, then I trust him." She reared her head up and for a moment Nick was reminded of Judy. He saw, in Dr. Skunk's wife, the same determination that Judy radiated right before their own trip into the portal. It was a stance that said 'with you by my side, I can handle anything.'

Nick stared, completely relating to the feelings that were clearly going through her head. Fear, confusion, not sure what to expect next, but above all else there was love. She didn't know much about what she was getting herself into, but she knew she'd be with the one that she loved, and at the end of the day that's all that mattered to her.

"Where's your partner?" Mrs. Skunk asked, snapping Nick out of his thoughts. Bogo snorted behind her and rolled his eyes.

"Eh heh….Uh well,…she had to return early and finish up a couple of things. To um… help with preparations! To greet you of course! "

"To greet me?"

"Well sure! It's not easy jumping dimensions. And us little guys gotta look out for each other." He winked and walked over to her suitcase. "Here, lemme give ya a hand and we can be on our way."

"WILDE!" Bogo called, before Nick could completely make it out the door. He spun around and looked at the chief. "That portal MUST be closed. Understand?" Bogo said sternly. Nick nodded slightly and watched as Mrs. Skunk made her way out of the room and back to the chamber housing the portal.

Nick sighed inwardly, refusing to show how much the thought of that affected him. He didn't want Judy to feel trapped in the human world because of him. Giving up everything she worked so hard for. He was afraid she would one day resent him for popping into her life and causing so much trouble.

"Understand!?" Bogo repeated, this time a little more loudly.

"Ten-four Chief," Nick replied flatly and left the room.

oOo

* * *

Judy walked the streets of New York, hand on her stomach, in a total daze as she waited for Nick's return to the city. As soon as she found out how dangerous it was for her to continue to be in Zootopia she called her parents while hastily packing her things, and once again endured the pulling and nauseating sensations of that horrible portal.

She was instructed to stay in her hotel room until his return, but she couldn't help herself. She needed some fresh air. She needed to think. She still had so many questions running through her head, and not a lot of time to figure out the answers.

 _I'm such a dumb bunny,_ she thought to herself. She scolded herself for letting this happen, unsure of her capability to handle all of this. Being human. Could she do it?

"Well, well, well…" a voice from behind her snickered. Judy jumped and spun around, coming face to face with three men, looking to be around her age in this world. They had on baggy clothes, and two were covered in markings on their arms and neck Judy had never seen before, consisting of skulls and roses and one of a naked woman.

"What are you doing wandering in around this part of town?" another one of them asked her, and Judy immediately sensed the danger of the situation. The men leered at her form, and although Judy had never once considered herself attractive, in this world and this form she had been told she certainly was.

She wasn't sure how far she had walked from the hotel, or where exactly she was. She figured if she could just out run them in one direction she would find her way back later. She started to glance around and look for an escape as they closed in on her.

Turning to run she barely got a few steps before one of the men grabbed her by her collar and pulled her back into his grasp. She cursed out loud then used some of her knowledge from her cop training to effectively twist her body out of his clutches and elbow her attacker in the face. He cursed and fell to the ground, holding a bloody broken nose.

Her old rabbit instincts set in and she turned her body and kicked her leg as hard as she could at the second creep, effectively nailing him in the crotch. He screamed bloody murder and fell to the ground as she started to run back in the other direction. The last guy reared in front of her and blocked her path, pulling her into an ally and pinning her up against the rough brick wall.

She screamed in frustration, wriggling under his grasp and pissed off she didn't have her police gear she so desperately wanted to don in this new world. She looked in his eyes and he continued to sneer at her.

"Haha are you afraid?" he asked, enjoying the fight in her. He paused for a moment and looked closer at her face. "Is your nose twitching?" he asked with a hint of curiosity. "It is! Ha! You're so afraid your nose is actually _twitching._ Like a scared little bunny." He leaned closer to her face and she could smell beer on his breath. "My little bunny." He moved forward to kiss her, but before he hit his target a loud noise rang out in the ally and the man's eyes fluttered shut as he wilted to the ground.

"That's _MY_ bunny." Stated an angry voice, and Judy looked up to see a furious human Nick, standing before her.

"Nick, how did you find me!?" she exclaimed, her voice helping to clear the red in his vision. He looked at her worried face and instantly dropped the bat, racing over to her. He pulled her close to his body, holding her as he rested his chin on her head and letting her take a moment to calm down in his arms. She wasn't crying, but she was shaking, clearly affected by what happened.

 _Those ass holes are lucky they didn't get any further or else they'd be dead right now._

"Shhh…It's all okay. Glad I tracked you down Carrots," he smirked, proud of himself for protecting her. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes with wonder.

"How…how did you even find me?"

"Well, when I got back to the hotel and saw you weren't there, I started to worry." He scratched his neck nervously for coming across so sensitive. "I figured you went for a walk. You must've really been in deep thought cuz honestly Carrots, you didn't get too far. I heard your scream a couple blocks away. Knew it was you." His eyes were lidded and back to their normal non-chalante façade, as his hand rubbed her back to calm her down.

She sighed as her adrenaline began to dissipate. "And the bat?" she asked, slightly amused.

"Stole it from some kids playing ball in the street," he grinned.

"You didn't!" she laughed, slapping his arm.

"Hey! I saved you, didn't I fluff butt?" he rubbed his arm, feigning injury from her playful hit.

"Yea, you saved me," she said and rolled her eyes at him. "Probably shouldn't steal from children though," she joked, as they made their way back to their hotel.

"Well, maybe I wasn't stealing," he teased back, "Maybe I was just thinking ahead. Incase our kid's the athlete type and he wants to be ball player," he playfully pretended to lower an imaginary baseball cap and swung the bat, posing like he was a pro. Grinning, he turned back at Judy who nervously stared.

 _Please tell me that joke didn't go too far._ He inwardly cringed, hoping she wouldn't say something awful about not wanting to have his kid.

The moment stretched into a slience that felt like an eternity to Nick. Finally Judy spoke.

"What if it's a girl?" she asked shyly, gazing up at him with a smile.

He literally felt like his heart was about to explode with love.

"Well, there's nothing that says SHE can't be a ball player either," he retorted cooly, giving no clue as to the tidal wave of emotion he just felt. He hooked his arm around Judy's waist, stopping her in her tracks and swooped in to plant a firm, but loving kiss on her lips.

Finally they parted and she gave out a slight giggle before they continued walking back to their place. He allowed his arm to stay at her waist, wanting nothing but to hold her close after such a brush with danger.

"What if she's a dancer?" Judy asked innocently.

"What is he's a wrestler?" Nick replied, enjoying this little game.

"What if she's a doctor?"

"What if he's an accountant?"

Judy laughed at the last one. "Haha…for some reason, between the two of us, I highly doubt that one. I guess we'll just see." She put her hand on her stomach again as she snuggled in closer to Nick. _This is still so unbelievable. Walking with him like this. Like a couple. Like regular mates, expecting a baby._

"We gotta meet the skunk's tomorrow." He whispered in her hair, breaking her from her thoughts and breathing in her scent. "Seems the professor is VERY animated about this unexpected…um…well… change in plans."

She sighed, exhausted from the day, from her adrenaline, and from the changes her body was already starting to prepare for. She thought back to her phone call with her parents. The look on their faces when she told them she was pregnant was pure elation. They wanted nothing more then their little girl to settle. But when she told them it was Nick's, their faces turned from elation to confusion. And when she explained the portal and the human world her father walked away from the screen halfway through. At first Judy thought he was rejecting her, or was embarrassed to call her his daughter for mating with a fox, but a few moments later she could see him in the background taking out his shotguns and muttering "that fox is dead for doing this to my little girl."

Luckily Bonnie was able to calm him down, more excited for her daughter then Stu obviously was. Judy explained it may be a long time before she could see them again, and it brought tears to her eyes just thinking about the unexpected goodbye. She wished she could have gotten one last hug.

"It will all be fine." Her mother had said to her. "We'll see each other again, I promise. Mother's intuition," she smiled at her daughter through the small screen and they quickly bid their goodbyes so Judy could get back.

"I wonder what Dr. Skunk will say. Maybe we can get him to keep the portal open?" Judy asked hopefully.

Nick tried not to show her the doubt on his face as she brought up this subject, feeling once again guilty for stealing her life away.

"Maybe…" he said, and pulled her closer to him again, finding comfort in the brief moment of bliss.

oOo

* * *

The next day Judy and Nick met the skunk's at their new home right outside the city. Dr. Skunk had given them directions to get on the train and where to take it. She chatted with Nick about where they would potentially live, and mentioned that she was a pretty skilled farmer. Perhaps they could open up a carrot farm.

He just listened, happy to hear her talking about their future and confident they would figure it out. Bogo had given them much more money when he had returned to Zootopia to grab Dr. Skunk's wife; enough to last them for a while at least. Nick could tell Bogo had a soft spot for Judy and wanted her well taken care of from this whole incident. He silently thanked the huge oaf for it.

When they arrived at the steps of the skunk's small house, the door flew open before they even got a chance to knock. Dr. Skunk was ecstatic as he quickly grabbed Judy and felt her stomach, bombarding her with rather personal and in Nick's opinion, unnecessary questions.

 _Touch her stomach one more time skunk._ He thought, trying to keep his cool but still bothered especially after the previous nights events.

Dr. Skunk's wife finally appeared and calmed him down. She looked like a female version of Dr. Skunk, with dark skin and a white stripe in her hair. Her hair was not as long as Judy's but instead stopped at her shoulders, and she was donning glasses, same as her husband. She was taller then Judy, but not as tall as Nick, and he frame was more stout and boxy, but she seemed like she was doing okay in her new skin.

"Can I offer you two some tea?" she asked. Their house was pretty bare still, but Judy and Nick accepted the tea as they sat on what looked to be a used sofa in the living room. Nick tried not to think about where the sofa could have been before, and politely took the tea, sitting on the edge of the cushion.

"This is amazing. Really, really amazing." Said Dr. Skunk as he put a large quantity of sugar in his hot tea. "How do you feel Judy?"

"Fine…I guess. Normal?" she replied.

"Yes, yes it takes much longer for humans to bare children. It will still be weekend before the morning sickness and nausea and weird cravings really start."

"Wait, what?" she asked. Nick looked between the two, listening and silently sipping his tea.

"Oh yes, human pregnancy is much more bizarre then a rabbits. From what I read from the books in the library, the woman's feet swell up, they crave odd foods, they often vomit multiple time a day-" The doctor continued to rattle off more awful side effects and Judy's eyes widened like saucers.

She turned to look at Nick and he looked back. _Why does she look so angry?_ He wondered. Then she reached out and smacked him on the arm as hard as she could.

"Hey! Ouch! Jeeze Carrots, what in the heck was that for?!" He held his arm, confused.

"For you doing this to me! Do you hear all those things I have to deal with?! It sounds so hard…" her eyes started to shine and Nick sensed the impending water works.

"Oh yes, and overly emotional mood swings are also a-" Dr. Skunk received a hard slap on the arm as well, this one from his wife.

"Will you stop it, you're scaring the poor girl!" she scolded.

Judy crossed her arms, not wanting to already fall victim to these side effects. "I am NOT feeling overly emotional." She said sternly, hardening her voice and pushing down her fears.

"Yea, she's just always emotional like that." Stated Nick, innocently, as he received his second slap for the day. "What?! What did I say?!"

Judy gave out a little "hmph," and poured herself some more tea. _Dumb Fox_ , she thought.

The four of them sat there for hours chatting about the human world. Judy and Nick learned a lot more about these human's similar culture, and Dr. Skunk gave them reassurance that he believed the pregnancy would go smoothly, but wanted like to help monitor and study Judy through the process. Judy agreed, and from there they went on to chat about other things they planned to do in the world. All the ways they wanted to help educate about the animals these humans clearly are still naïve about.

Dr. Skunk and Nick got into a heated discussion about fennec fox's in this world and Judy sat back as she watched him. She admired how much Nick had grown, from this con artist to someone who now cared about helping a society they weren't even technically part of. She loved him before, but she could feel it even stronger now.

He noticed her looking at him and he smiled back, reaching out to put his hand over the one she had resting in her lap. She let her fingers intertwine with his and just as she had their first day as humans, she brushed her thumb over the soft skin on the top of his hand, admiring him in this form. This felt right. She was so afraid of failure, and of giving up on this police dream she had worked her whole life for. But truly she had succeeded. Not only did she become a successful cop, but she found a partner, and realized life wasn't all about success. These feelings for Nick were important too, and she was going to have no regrets starting a family with him.

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Nick, jumping up and looking down at Judy with out of character excitement.

"What is? I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said," she admitted shyly.

"The portal," started Dr. Skunk. "I had only kept it open because I wasn't sure if I closed it that I would be able to reopen it. But seems like my invention continues to work." He pulled out the same box he had showed Nick earlier, the one that controlled the opening and sealing of the portal. "I've successfully closed the portal and been able to re-open it. It's closed now. But if you need to go back after you have the baby, you can my dear." He was smiling, and obviously proud of his invention, holding the box up as if just showing it to Judy would prove his words true.

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed, excited to hear this new.

Nick was ecstatic that Judy wasn't trapped her. That she could leave after all this. That – "Wait." Said Nick, having a thought. "What would happen to the baby? If it passed through? If it's from here?"

The doctor lowered the box expectantly, knowing that question would come up. "Honestly Nick, I'm not sure." If Nick still had his fox ears he knew they would be drooping right now at that news. _I wouldn't leave the baby._ _What if Judy wants to go back and leaves me?_

"Well, we won't be leaving our child." Judy said matter-of-factly, and for the first time felt an urge of maternal instinct put her hand on her stomach protectively.

Nick and Judy made eye contact and Nick smiled, his body clearly relaxing. They continued to stare, giving each other a small smile as they read each other's minds. They still couldn't really go back. They couldn't leave their child behind.

oOo

* * *

They left the skunk's soon after that. It was late afternoon, and although the sun wasn't quite setting yet they could feel the day coming to a close. The skunk's home was on a beautiful hill, secluded from neighbors, overlooking a field of flowers, and they took a moment to enjoy the view before heading back to the train.

Nick was relieved to hear Judy speak so confidently about them having a kid. This strange friendship had turned into an even stranger relationship, but he was happy. Holding her hand, looking out at the view, in that moment he felt brave.

"Judy…" he said softly.

Rarely hearing him use her name she turned to look at him with concern. "Yeah Nick?"

He turned to her, looking into her beautiful violet eyes.

"Marry me?" he asked, pulling out a small, velvet box from his pocket.

It was very like Nick, Judy thought, to be so calm, cool, and collected even about a marriage proposal. He wasn't one for being flashy, and she thought the beautiful view and the use of her name was the perfect way for him to say how much he loves her. She felt her heart swell as she looked up at her best friend.

"Of course." She said, beginning to nod her head vigorously, and eventually she couldn't stop herself from completely jumping in his arms and almost knocking him over. They both laughed as she clasped her hands behind his neck and kissed him. "I love you Nick Wilde," she whispered to him for the first time aloud.

He reared his head back and was wearing a huge, shit-eating grin. _Finally!_ His mind shouted. _She said it! SHE LOVES ME! She said YES and she loves me!_

He grabbed at her waist and swung her around, both completely elated and high on the feeling of being able to be together and express themselves in ways they never would have been able to in Zootopia. "I love you too, Carrots." He said as he put her down and kissed her. They stood like that for what felt like eternity, soaking in the moment.

Finally Nick pulled back and reached for her hand, slipping the ring on her finger.

"Where did you ever find time to get a ring?" she asked, feeling giddy and girly as she admired the simple, yet beautiful ring he had chosen.

"It's called a hustle baby, " he grinned slyly. Judy's eyes went wide looking between Nick and the ring and back at Nick guiltily.

Nick laughed at her reaction.

"Relax. I saw it in a shop when I was heading back to the hotel. Right before I found out you were missing. After that I figured last night wasn't exactly the best night to ask." She clearly relaxed as his blissful grin grew wider, then lowered his head in the crook of her neck and nuzzled her in a very animal-like manner. She nuzzled back, breathing in his scent and running her fingers through his hair.

 _I can do this._ She thought.

 _If it means being with him, I can be human._

oOo

* * *

They got back to the hotel and Judy sighed as she sat on the bed, happy to rest her feet. Nick leaned on the doorframe of the bedroom smiling at her as she flicked her hair over her shoulder and reached for the room service menu, skimming the pages for something to eat.

 _I can't believe she's my mate._

She noticed him staring at cocked her head to the side. "Everything okay?" she asked concerned.

He chuckled lightly, uncrossing his arms and using his shoulder to push himself off the doorframe. "Oh, just fine. Crazy day, huh Carrots?"

She sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Crazy…but good." She smiled, holding her hand up in the air and gazing at the single diamond ring on her finger in appreciation. _I can't believe he's my mate._ She thought. _Who would have figured? That sly fox I spotted on the first day of meter maid duty. The animal my family told me to avoid my whole life. He's not my mate._

"All that stuff Dr. Skunk said about pregnancy, I am not looking forward to." Sighing for a second time, she looked back over at Nick and he had an odd expression on his face. "You know, you're not doing a very good job of convincing me everything's okay." She laughed half-heartedly.

"I know…It's just. I just thought of something." He said, checking the clock to see what time it was. "I have to go. I'll be back tonight."

"Wait, what?! Go where? I'll come too." She sat up, now concerned.

Nick just shook his head and grinned. "No way _honey bunny._ This is something I've got to do on my own. Don't go getting yourself in trouble this time while I'm gone okay?"

She looked at him like he was mad, and he quickly walked up to her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, before heading out the door in a flash.

"You better not do anything stupid Nick Wilde!" She called after him, crossing her arms as she watched his auburn hair disappear behind the door. He quickly peeked his head back in the room and winked at her, then popped back out again closing the door behind him.

"What the hell was that all about?" Judy said to herself aloud.

oOo


	11. Final Chapter

Hey all! Sorry for such a long wait. Life gets crazy sometimes! I just want to say thank you all for following and enjoying this story. It's been a fun first for me and there will definitely be more stories to come. Now for the conclusion of Being Human. =)

oOo

* * *

The next morning Nick was practically skipping around the small, hotel kitchenette, he was in such a good mood. Judy was suspicious and even slightly worried.

"Someone has a spring in their step," Judy joked sipping her coffee as she watched her usually cool, sly fox, act like a hyper teenager.

All he did was wink at her in response, and continued his goofy behavior, a grin plastered on his face.

Judy peered at him suspiciously but didn't continue to pry. He had come home last night in the very same mood but Judy wasn't able to get even a hint out of him as to what he was upto.

There was a knock on the door, and Judy jumped slightly, not expecting any visitors. She looked at Nick, who only glanced back at her before making his way to the door.

He stopped midway.

"Ya know what Carrots….why don't you answer it?" he said, then stepped out of the way to clear her path.

"Me?" she asked surprised, "What? Why? What exactly are you upto?" she squinted her eyes and stared down the fox like a mother who knows their child has done something troublesome.

Another knock at the door broke her stare.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Jesus Carrots, don't you trust me?" he lowered his gaze and smirked at her, revealing the cunning and attractive side of Nick she was much more accustomed to. "Or are ya scared, little bunny?"

Well that did it.

Judy gave a little "hmph," then straightened her posture and made her way to the front door. She turned to look back at Nick with an expression that said 'I'm not afraid of anything,' then swung the door open and gasped.

 _Oh my god…_ she thought, as she felt tears fighting to spill from her eyes.

Her head whipped back at Nick who had his arms crossed looking incredibly pleased with himself.

She turned back to the doorway.

"Mom?...Dad?" she questioned, trying to confirm what she was seeing in front of her.

Standing before her in the doorway was two adult humans, but Judy still knew her parents anywhere. She knew their grey hair, her father's bad taste in clothing, dirty farmers hat, and how only her mother could look at her like she herself was about to burst into tears.

"Oh Judy!" her mom cried out before enveloping her daughter in the biggest hug of her life.

"But…but…how?" Judy could barely speak, completely overwhelmed.

"Nick came and got us last night." Her mother replied.

"Yeah, that crazy fox was banging on our door at 1am, yelling all about portals, and being able to see you." Nick chuckled in the background.

"We couldn't let our own daughter go through all this alone. You're having a baby! I'm going to be a gran-bunny Stu! You'll need lots of help" Judy's mom was clearly delighted at her daughter finally starting her own family.

Judy couldn't believe any of this. _I can't believe Nick did this for me. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to any of them, and now….Now I don't have to feel so alone here._

"What about all my brothers and sisters?" Judy asked concerned.

"Nick said we can go back and forth. We won't stay here permanently but we can come visit and help out as often as you need us." Her mother beamed.

Judy laughed out loud, pulling her parents into a warm hug, much like the moment she left for Zootopia. "That's right," Judy whispered. "You can go back and forth. Dr. Skunk just recently found that out, but with the baby-" Judy cut herself short and put her hand over her stomach. "I'm not sure….I'm not sure if I can ever…"

"We know honey. Nick told us everything. It's okay though! We can still all be here for you." Judy teared up and looked back at Nick who was silently watching the scene from the other side of the room with joy painted on his face. "Thank you" she whispered to him.

"Can't believe Jude the Dude is gonna marry a fox." Stu said, interrupting Nick and Judy's moment. "I went and got my shotgun soon as he told us he knocked you up."

"Stu!" Bonnie yelled and smacked him.

"What!? I didn't shoot him! He made it all right." Bonnie crossed her arms looked at him unamused.

Judy giggled, and pulled herself away from her parents making her way over to Nick.

"I love you. Thank you. This means the world to me."

"I love you too. Gotta make sure my little bunny is happy." He smiled and pulled her into his embrace, giving her a soft quick kiss.

"Ya know what? For what first time in my life I feel like I really am. I usually don't know when to quit…. But right now, I feel like I can relax and settle down for a bit." She hugged Nick and smiled over at her parents as Nick lovingly kissed the top of her head.

"Silly bunny."

"Sly fox."

oOo

* * *

EPILOGUE

It was a beautiful day in Central Park. It seemed everyone was out with their pets and families, enjoying the warm spring weather.

Near one of the ponds, standing off by a cluster of trees and bushes stood six adults and kids all chatting incessantly.

Among them was a beautiful young woman, nearing her mid thirties, with long silver hair and purple eyes, going through a large bag she had with her as she spoke to what looked like a younger version of herself. Her younger self was almost a spitting image of her mother, in her early teens, but her long hair donned a beautiful red hue, and she stood there with her arms crossed looking at her mother unamused, with half lidded eyes.

"I'll be fine mom! I got this." She said confidently, gently taking the bag from her mother's hands as her mom ranted off the list of things she packed for her.

"Ugh, just like your father." Judy said, as she let her daughter take the bag from her.

"Like me!?" A tall, red headed man said from behind her as he tried to peel a wild, silver haired, 8 year old boy off of his leg. "I believe YOU'RE the defiant one. You're the one who never knows when to quit."

Judy gave a small "hmph," and turned to her husband. "Yes but you are the one who –"

"Alright you two, let's not waste any more time." laughed Bonnie, used to the loving bickering that often happened between Nick and Judy. "I'm not getting any younger!" she joked again, standing next to Stu. They both had aged and now donned white hair instead of grey. Over the years Judy had noticed Stu and Bonnie were slowly down a bit physically, but mentally they were still the parents she adored.

"Come here Carrot-Top" Nick said, reaching to embrace his daughter in a hug.

"Daaaaad, you know I hate that nick-name!" she whined and willingly hugged him back. He just laughed at her complaint, and squeezed her tightly. "I know. I know. I love you Jess."

She hugged him back "Love you too Daddy." She said, letting a hint of emotion creep into her voice.

"Dr. Skunk. I know I've asked you a million times, but you are SURE this is going to work?" Judy asked slightly worried.

"Yes, yes of course," the older man, donning now peppered black and white hair, replied. "We've been working with this portal for thirteen years now. All the animals we have been able to save, and rehab here we have been able to send to Zootopia for better lives. There has never been a problem transferring life between worlds. It just come through in another form. I'm not exactly sure what kind of animal Jess here will be, but she will be okay, that I am positive of. Besides…" he continued, looking at Jess with admiration as he put his arm around Mrs. Skunk's shoulders. "I would never do anything that would put our god-daughter in harms way."

Judy sighed, happy with his response, and looked at her little girl who was now so grown up. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"Oh no mom, please don't cry." Said Jess. "You're gonna make me cry." As her own tears started forming.

"See? Just like her mother." Nick whispered to Stu, making sure he was out of earshot. Stu just chuckled in response.

"It's not like I'm going forever! Just for the summer! To learn about Zootopia and stay with Gran-bunny and Gran-papi."

"I know, I know….Summer just feels like such a long time. I would go with you but…" Judy glanced down at her still flat stomach, laying a hand on it.

"I know! You gotta keep my new baby sister safe." Jess said, winking at her mother in a very Nick-like fashion. "And dad and Dr. Skunk still have a lot of work to do here with the exotic animal sanctuary their opening, and all their success among the no-kill shelters." Judy just nodded at her daughter with a smile on her face. She reached out and smoothed down her bright red hair and Jess jumped into her mother's arms, hugging her lovingly. "I love you mom."

"I love you too."

"Ready to go dear?" Bonnie asked, as Dr. Skunk activated the portal.

"Yes! I can't wait to see what it's like being an animal over being human." On the count of three Bonnie, Stu and Jess held hands and leapt through the portal together.

Judy held back a sob, and Nick slid his arm around Judy as their son continued to let out his energy by running circles around him.

"What do you think she'll be?" Judy asked.

"I dunno, something beautiful, just like her mother." He replied looking at her with love. He glanced back down at their son. "This one, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure is going to be a Fennec Fox."

Judy chuckled at the truth of his joke, and leaned into his side.

"I'm gonna miss her." Judy whispered.

"Me too….but you've been a great mom. I think we raised a good one. After all that chaos that brought us here, I'm glad we decided to have her. I'm glad we chose to stay here, and be together, and are happy being human."

"Me too." She said, then reached up and kissed him as they made their way home, ready to start at work on the new nursery.

oOo

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The End! Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoyed! There is potential for a sequel with Jess and being an animal. We shall see!


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